


Bite marks

by Bloodpatternblue



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Eventual Smut, F/M, Lemon, Lime, Not for the faint of heart, Post-Apocalypse, Smut, Tragedy, Vegebul, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:00:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25049551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloodpatternblue/pseuds/Bloodpatternblue
Summary: COMPLETE! Vegeta has gotten through the apocalypse on his own merit. His skills as an SAS soldier have kept him alive up until now, and he is convinced he doesn't need anyone's fucking help.That is until a certain blue haired scientist comes roaring into his life, offering him a chance to get back something that has been taken from him.Set in a modern post-apocalyptic Australia.Tragedy, angsty, smutty goodness.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Comments: 76
Kudos: 102





	1. Piece of shit

**Author's Note:**

> This fic will be violent and sad, you've been warned *shrugges*

Chapter 1

"Piece of shit!" Vegeta raged. 

He kicked the rusty door, it creaked as his foot impacted into the side of it, bending the dirty metal.

"FUCK!" He shouted to the sky.

The car continued to hiss with steam in the hot Australian summer sun. Sweat beaded down his forehead and ran into his eye, stinging as he blinked it into the corners of his eyes.

Vegeta took a deep breath in, trying to calm his nerves, anger never did him any good, especially in his current situation. He needed to collect himself and find a safe shady spot. He looked off down the road to the south, dust was starting to cloud the horizon, as if something big was moving the red dirt. Vegeta's eyes widened as it became clear what was approaching. He reached inside the beat up old Holden, grabbing two big duffel bags. He slung them over his shoulder then slammed the door shut for the last time.

"Time for me to leave you here old girl, your final resting place.." he began, as he heard a roaring motor coming from the north. 

He spun his head to watch a large Toyota ute come barreling up beside him, it came to a jarring stop, sliding slightly in the dust. Pushing up a cloud that Vegeta almost immediately started to choke on. The dust began to settle, a familiar Offspring song began to blast from the inside of the car as the window came down.

"How’s it going? You bogged?" A female voice came from inside the silver ute.

Vegeta shaded his eyes from the sun and peered into the car, all he could make out was blue hair and a female form. Even so, he was cautious, in this climate, threats were around every corner, in any shape or form.

"No, cars carked it! But that is the least of my worries" Vegeta said pointing down to the south.

The horde was visible now, hundreds of bodies moving at speed, creating a red dust storm behind them.

He heard a laugh from inside the car as the driver side door opened with a click. Her left arm smacked on top of the silver roof. She looked out toward the horizon. 

"Holy shit! That's a big horde, fucking huge one! Better get in" she said, slipping back into her seat.

The ute doors unlocked with a simultaneous click. Vegeta considered the big diesel ute before he made his decision. He popped the passenger side door and threw his bags into the cab and climbed his way in.

He barely managed to clip his seat belt in before she had shifted the ute into reverse and released the clutch. Vegeta grabbed onto the handles inside the cab, as she swung the ute around and pumped the it back into gear. As they began to leave the scene, Vegeta looked back in the mirror, the horde had almost reached where he had been standing. Had this woman not pulled up when she did, he would have been surrounded by hundreds of them.  
He sighed hard, close calls were just a thing nowadays, something you had to deal with on a daily basis. But today, today was fucked.  
He watched the gum trees begin to thin out as the road suddenly turned from an unsealed dirt road to a skinny bitumen road. The bump was mainly absorbed by the ute's huge tyres.  
Vegeta rubbed his head, trying to let the last few minutes sink in.   
  
“That was a close one!” The woman said, laughing.

Vegeta looked over toward the woman and choked on his own breath and spit.  
Both hands on the steering wheel, she smiled at him. Her right arm was a mechanical prosthetic. Tendons and muscles swapped with high quality metal joints. It was dark gunmetal colour, if he was honest, it looked sick. His eyes moved up from her mechanical arm to her face, she quickly met his gaze with her own. One of her eyes was dull, glazed over white, like one of the beasts. She turned her eyes back to the road.

“Oh yeah, I got bit a few years ago. I had to chop my own arm off to stop the spread! Still managed to get this eye as a scar though” The woman said, using her mechanical arm to point to her zombie eye.

“Fucking hell” Vegeta said, laughing in disbelieve.

“I’m Bulma” She chirped. 


	2. Well, fuck me

Chapter 2

Against the horizon a thick bush started to appear. The tall gum trees looked well watered and kept. Vegeta turned to the woman to try and study her facial expressions. 

Her left eye was foggy, just like the creatures were, after they turned from human to zombie. She had said it was a scar from the bite. But he had never seen anything like it. 

Dark veins ran up the side of her face and into the eye, Vegeta studied her skin carefully. The virus had left its mark as it travelled around her body. He found himself thinking about the moment she decided to cut off her own arm, what an intuitive mind she must possess to be able to think so expeditious. And what guts it must have taken to cut through her own bone and flesh.  
Vegeta shifted his hips in the seat, trying not to wince.   
  
“So what’s your name?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the road.

“Vegeta” He replied, looking out the window beside him.

“Nice to meet you Vegeta” She said.

“Hn.”   
  
Vegeta turned around and looked out the window, shifting his weight around in the seat again. He has spent time out bush while training, he had a good understanding about what it took to survive. But without a place to secure water and shelter, he knew it would be dangerous to trek out to. However, after his comrades deserted him and fell victim to the creatures, he had no other choice.   
  
“Silent broody type huh? So, were you going somewhere in particular ?” Bulma asked.

“No, just decided to get away from the coast, it’s been brutal there” He answered.

Bulma looked over at him for a second and back to the road. She said no more about it.

“Well, we don’t have much out here, water is the commodity, even since before the…” She trailed off.

Vegeta looked over a petite woman, her hands, flesh and metal, both gripping the steering wheel hard. He looked back out the window, he didn’t know what it was like to live out here. But it had been hard for farmers and the rural townspeople for many years. Even before the creatures.

“But we survive, like we always have” She chirped.

The tree line came screaming past them as they entered the patch of gum trees. The sun was strobing through the trees and flashing on and off the car. They drove another minute in silence until the trees began to disperse again. They were met with a large wall, barbed wire adorning the top of the wall and armed guards on patrol. Vegeta’s mouth dropped. 

“This is more than surviving” He muttered, leaning forward and shifting his leg.

He tried to sight the end of the wall, it seemed to stretch at least a kilometre. 

Bulma laughed. “I guess you have a point!” she said.

She pushed the gear down and began to slow the ute, stopping at what seemed to be the front gate. She shifted to neutral, pulled the handbrake and turned around to him.

“Before I say anymore, I want you to tell me one thing” She said.

“What is that?” He mumbled.

“What’s a guy, with two duffle bags of weapons and a bung leg doing out here?” Her face shifted to a serious demeanor.

Vegeta scowled at her. “You have a keen eye, It’s no wonder you’ve been thriving out here” He said.

“Answer my question” Her metal hand gripped the wheel hard, making the leather creak.

Vegeta looked back out the window, away from her gaze, trying to hide himself from her.  
  
“I’m Defence Force” He said quietly.   
  
“No shit!” Bulma’s tone changed.

Vegeta looked at her, her eyes were lit up with curiosity. 

“So what is this?” He asked nodding toward the wall.

“My company's compound, we are a research facility” Bulma explained.

“Researching what?” Vegeta asked.

Bulma laughed and waved her prosthetic arm. “Biomechanics, Bioengineering, ya know, the usual!” She smiled.

“That arm was built here?” Vegeta asked.

“Yes, among other prosthetics. We are also researching the virus, it’s how I got this” She pointed to her eye.

Vegeta huffed, so she was bit while researching the virus.  
  
“We want to make a vaccine and from what I’ve seen, I think you could help us” She said, implying something underneath her words.

Vegeta's heart pumped hard in his chest, he felt exposed and vulnerable, sending him into fight or flight mode. He grabbed his duffle bags and jumped out of the ute. He ran around the back of the ute and headed toward the tree line.

“HEY!” she yelled, throwing her door open and standing on the edge of the door frame.  
  


* * *

  
“HEY!” Bulma yelled, jumping onto the frame of her ute.

“A simple no would have sufficed!” she sighed to herself.

The gates in front of the ute cracked open and squealed as they were pushed. Three large men, armed like soldiers came out, watching the stranger walk away from the compound, with a slightly inconsistent limp. They approached Bulma, the one in front shaking his head.

“What the fuck Bulma? Who was that?” He asked.

“I found him, down near the Durack turn off.” Bulma said, jumping out of the ute. 

The three men surrounded her as they all watched Vegeta leave.

“What did you tell him?” another man asked.

Bulma laughed sheepishly. “Oh, well… you know” She said.

“Bulma!” The leading man growled.

“Calm down Bardock, nothing top secret, don’t get ya knickers in a knot!” She laughed.

“I shouldn’t have to explain to you that he could be a part of the hostiles!” Bardock said.

“Well, I didn’t get that vibe from him!” Bulma said.

“Vibe? For fuck sake” Bardock sighed.

“Come on Dad, you know how she is” A younger man said.

“Yeah, and besides, he is going to join us!” Bulma said putting her hands on her hips. “I can just tell these things” 

* * *

  
The penetrating drum of the cicadas was deafening that not even birds were perching in the gum trees. The smell of dirt and eucalyptus was almost a pleasant sense of nostalgia, if it wasn’t for the maddening dry heat.   
He could kick himself for running before he could secure some water. But the trees were lush enough that there had to be a water source nearby somewhere. His secret was more important to keep at this point, especially from a person like her.   
  
The air pressure changed and it seemed as if even the cicadas turned their noise down a notch. His senses took over and he was aware of everything around him. Something was here.   
  
“Imagine boys, seeing some cunt with two large bags striding straight into us” A cocky voice sounded and echoed through the trees.

Vegeta swung around, trying to find the source, reaching into his bag. They appeared from behind the trees, everyone of them armed and encasing him in.

“Don’t even think about it” One man said, raising his weapon at Vegeta. “Drop the duffels and raise you fucking arms”

Vegeta growled, slowly dropping his bags to the ground and putting his hand up above his head. Just as he resigned himself to losing his weapons for good, he heard it.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You absolute fuckwit, you said she went back into the compound!” The man in charge screamed at a smaller man.

“I swear she did!” He yelled back.   
  
“Fuck her, we outnumber her!” another yelled, as others yelled in agreement.

Vegeta watched as their attentions turned to the ute, barrelling through the trees along the dirt track. He seized the distraction and quickly accessed a gun from within the duffel. One man was watching Vegeta still, and fired a warning shot at him. Vegeta ignored it, swung his weapon up with his arms and took aim. Shooting a bullet straight into his brains.  
The rest of the men mistook Vegeta’s fire as an affirmation to unleash on Bulma.   
Just as they filled her ute full of bullets, three other utes appeared from other angles, splitting up the thieves position. Vegeta took cover behind a tree, taking out another two men.

He looked around in time to see her release her real weapon as the other people engaged in cover fire. Bulma took two long strides from behind the cover of her ute, before launching her metal arm into the rocky ground, sending a shock wave of debris at four men, hitting and wounding them. They were subsequently taken down by fire from one of the supporting utes.

“Fall back, the Son’s are backing her up!” Vegeta heard from behind the trees.

The men quickly retreated as fast as they had appeared. Vegeta breathed hard, trying to calm his nerves as old memories surfaced, trying to take hold of his subconscious. He grabbed at his face, clawing at his skin, doing anything to bring himself back into the present. He couldn't allow himself to slip into the waking nightmares now.

“Vegeta!” He heard an old, long dead comrade call out.

Vegeta closed his eyes, is whole body shaking and sweating.

“Vegeta!” The dead soldier screamed again.  
  
He snapped out of his memory.   
  
“Vegeta!” Bulma called again. “It’s clear, they have gone”

Vegeta took three more deep breaths and called back. “Coming out”  
  
He stood up and moved out from his cover. He looked around and saw Bulma standing with three other men. He went to walk, but his right leg was numb and was moving as if it had a mind of its own. His subconscious shift just now allowed the invading power to take some control of his limb. He fought it hard.  
  
“Fucking thing! Not now!” He cussed.

He limped over to them as they picked up his bags.

“Seems like I have saved you twice in one day” Bulma giggled.

Vegeta stopped and disengaged his weapon.

“Why did you come for me?” Vegeta asked.

He heard one of the men with her snigger.   
  
“Because dummy! I want you to join us and I don’t take no for an answer! So I thought I’d save your butt one more time to sweeten the deal” She winked at him.   
  
“I don’t do groups” He said, slinging his weapon onto his back.

Bulma smiled at him as he folded his arms in an isolating manner. She looked down at his leg then back up to his eyes.

“You know, after I was bitten by the zombie test subject and had to amputate my arm, I would always get these horrible nightmares. Like I was one of them, feasting on human flesh. It was bad, but not nearly as bad as the feeling of something insidious inside of me, fighting for control, numbing and trying to get to my arm, even after the mechanics were wired straight into my nerves. _It_ still came for my arm” Bulma said, flexing her mechanical limb.

Vegeta’s eyes widened and a small, sharp gasp escaped his lips. No, she couldn’t have guessed, just from an hour with him. How could she? She seemed to see Vegeta’s realisation in his facial expression. He had unintentionally confirmed her suspicions.

She tapped her arm, smiling. “I’ve wanted to make a prosthetic leg for a while now! It seems I’m going to get my chance!” She winked at him.

Vegeta smirked and started laughing, throwing his head back until his lungs hurt. She was fucking all encompassing.  
  
“Well, fuck me, how can I refuse you now?” Vegeta said.


	3. No fucking way!

  
Chapter 3

Tendons crushed in her forearm as the skin was ripped open. Pain immediately caught her arm on fire. The thought flicked through her mind before the bite, but it took a few moments for her hands to react through the pain. 

She pressed the button on her duress pendant, the base of the spinal cord was immediately destroyed and the body fell to the floor like a toy that was suddenly switched off. Two deep breaths was all it took before she got herself up off the floor.  
The virus had already begun to move, she grabbed her wrist, pulling it out in front of her. A black sludge like substance was creeping from the bite mark, through her veins and travelling upward toward her heart. Her skin began to go clammy white, like life was being sucked from it.

“No!” She yelled to herself.

Bulma ran from the room, heading toward a store room down the hallway. She grabbed the radio from her hip as she ran, clicking the receiver on.  
  
“Dad!” She called.

The radio static hissed and clicked on. “Yes dear” Dr Briefs voice called from the radio.

“I’ve been bitten, the test subject got loose from the restraints, I...I fucked up!” Her voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes.

“No,no, no! Where are you?” Her father answered back, fear in his voice.

“I’m going to inject A35” She said, stopping in front of a locked door.

“Bulma, no, it hasn’t been trialed in humans yet! It’s too dangerous!” He yelled through the receiver.

“Dad, I have no choice, it’s heading toward my heart!” Bulma sobbed, typing in the doors code.

“Bulma…” She heard him say. “I’m coming!”

The doors slid open and she rushed to the refrigerated storing unit. She found the draw for the A35, pulling out the draw and grabbing a vile.  
She readied a syringe and sat her body down on a chair. She felt for the muscle in her right arm. The black sludge had already made its way up her arm, coming into the base of her bicep muscle. She stabbed the needle into her muscle, releasing the vaccine into her arm. She watched as the spread of the virus began to stop, but before it could halt, her arm began throbbing and thrashing. She tried to hold it down with her other arm. Was the virus reacting to the vaccine?  
  
Her father rounded the corner “Bulma!” He said, running to her side.

“I’m not sure if it has helped or not. What should I do?” She wept.

Her father's face dropped and she could tell the cold, hard reality of her situation was hitting him. She looked to the side of his head and saw the emergency evacuation box. She jumped up out of her chair and ran toward it. She grabbed a metal tool and smashed the glass of the box, pulling out the axe.

“No! You have no idea if that will work! You could bleed out in minutes!” Dr Briefs tried to reason.

Bulma looked at him and swallowed hard. “It’s better than turning into one of them! I need you to strap it down, I’m losing control of it” She said.

Her father gave her one final look of anguish and grabbed some nearby strapping they used to transport their medicine. They tied down her right arm as it began whipping about again. Bulma wrapped a spare strap around the very top of her arm, above where the visible virus was, and pulled the provisional tourniquet as tight with as much strength as she could muster. He put the strap into her mouth and kept the tension tight.  
She raised the axe with her feeble left arm. Without giving herself another moment to think it through, she brought her arm down and plunged the axe into her flesh and bone. Her voice filled the room with a horrifically, ear splitting scream.

* * *

  
Vegeta shot up in the bed he was laying in, sweat drenching him. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his beating heart.  
The nightmares happened every time he slept, without fail. The blue haired woman, Bulma, told him she could help him stop them. He looked down at his right leg, it twitched uncontrollably as he grabbed it, forcing his brain to concentrate on keeping it still. He wanted to get his leg back desperately. Being incapacitated in this way was dangerous, as yesterday had proven to him.  
His leg calmed down, allowing him to get himself out of the bed. He dressed himself in his clothes from the day before and headed outside of the small room he had been offered to stay in.

It was still hot, even though the sun had barely risen yet. He had always known the country heat was different to the eastern coast line, where temperatures were more tropical and less like a desert. Grass was soft and warm on his bare skin as he walked up the top of a small hill, one which gave a good view of the compound. He sat down with a drink bottle filled with water and watched the rising sun over the dry flat horizon. Casting a red glow over the land.

Air that pushed against his skin was hot and dry, it encompassed everything out here. Wildlife had already woken up and animals were moving about their day. kangaroos in the distant hills were moving to find shade in the nearby gum trees, eager to sleep out the heat of the sweltering day. He heard the laughter of kookaburras and the loud roaring warble of a tiding of magpies that lived on the compound. 

The compound was well over one thousand five hundred hectares. easily big enough to hold the couple of hundred people living inside its walls. He scanned the perimeter with his eyes. Farmers had crops growing on the flat land, there were solar panels adjacent to them and wind turbines on the outside of the walls.

"There's also power coming from a nearby dam, more than enough to power her experiments." He heard a voice chuckle from behind him.

Vegeta turned around and saw the man from yesterday, the leader. Bulma had called him Bardock. he handed Vegeta a cup of coffee.

"How long have you been here?" He asked. 

"Since the beginning, our family has a pretty long tradition of being in the military. We knew about the research facility here, what Bulma had been doing before the virus hit. We came with men to protect it after the government fell." Bardock explained as he sat next to him.

Vegeta looked back out over the compound. "What was she doing before the virus hit?" He asked.

"Bulma made prosthetics for medically discharged personnel from the Defense Force, I had met her once or twice. She was also funding and helping others to create a more effective malaria vaccine, amongst other projects" Bardock explained.

"So this virus is really just another ordinary day for her?" Vegeta said.

"Yeah, she almost enjoys it at times" Bardock laughed and lent back.

"I'm Vegeta" He said, leaning over with his hand stretched out.

Bardock smiled and grabbed his hand. "Bardock" he said, shaking Vegeta's hand with a firm grip.

"Bulma told me you were in the Defense Force. By some of the gear you brought in, I can take a wild guess at where you've been and what you’ve been doing" Bardock said.

Vegeta smirked. "SASR"

"Well that makes sense why you survived so long on your own, where are your comrades?" Bardock asked.

"Dead mostly" Vegeta said, staring off into the distance.

"Sorry to hear" Bardock trailed off.

Vegeta mouth twitched."tch."

"Those were your sons yesterday?" Vegeta asked.

"Yeah, Raditz, the one with the long hair. and Goku, with the same hairstyle as me" Bardock explained.

“Are you hungry? They should be starting to serve up breakfast” Bardock said standing up.

Vegeta grunted and followed him. They entered a large mess hall, full of soldiers eating and talking to each other. Vegeta looked around taking in the sights and sounds. It had been a number of years since he was surrounded by so many people, especially military men. Bardock motioned toward a table, his two sons and some others were sitting, chatting and joking.

“Everyone, this is Vegeta, the stray Bulma picked up yesterday” Bardock said, sitting down.  
  
Raditz and Goku got up and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you mate, I’m Goku” The younger of the pair said.  
  
“I’m Raditz” The taller one said.

“This place is… well it’s not what I thought I’d find out here” Vegeta said, sitting down.

“It’s a pretty sweet setup, but that just means others want a piece of it” Raditz said.

“The guys from yesterday?” Vegeta guessed.

“Yeah, they were only a small part of their guerilla forces, it seems gangs from the cities have been travelling out here as the resources east become scarce” Bardock explained.  
  
“I met some along my way as well, they are getting desperate” Vegeta said.

“So you’re military too?” Goku asked, looking over Vegeta’s uniform.

“Yeah, SASR, 3 sabre squadron” Vegeta answered.

“Nice!” Raditz said.  
  
“Special forces? Wow, you’ll be a big help” Goku said.

Others murmured in approval as well. Vegeta looked over at the buffet of food. Vegete headed over and filled a plate full of food, everything smelt amazing. He tried not to overfill, but he quickly refused to leave anything behind. He ate most of the food and stretched backwards, moaning out as his stomach pressed against his other organs.

“Been a while since you had some grub like that I bet!” Bardock laughed.

“You’re not wrong” Vegeta said.

Vegeta’s attention turned to the entry of the hall. Three women including Bulma walked in, One tall and blonde, the other a bit shorter with black hair. They were all chatting to each other. The dark haired one noticed the Son brothers and beckon the other women over to them.  
Bulma walked straight up to Vegeta.  
  
“Had enough to eat?” She asked.

Vegeta grunted at her as he watched the two other women sit down next to the men. They were in military training uniforms, did the women here know how to fight too?

“Come on then, let me look at that leg of yours” Bulma said, turning around.

Vegeta followed her down a pathway and into what looked like an office building. They walked up a set of stairs and entered a lab.  
  
“Down to your tightie whities thanks!” She chirped, going into a cupboard for supplies.   
  
Vegeta watched her for a moment with a scowl, then obeyed. He pulled off his skin coloured t-shirt, boots and camo pants. He looked behind him and saw an operating bed, he walked over to it and sat on it.  
Bulma popped her head over the counter and looked over at him. A red wound sat unmistakably on his shoulder. Her eyes wandered over his whole body before she spoke.  
  
“Wow, that’s a nasty bullet wound, was it bad enough to be discharged?” Bulma asked.

“Hmph, no, It’s a rarity that I only have one” Vegeta said.

Bulma giggled. “Ok tough guy!” She said.

“Tch.”

“So what part of the defense force were you in?” She asked.

Vegeta sighed. “SAS” He said for the third time that day.

“Oh! Special forces? Your skills will be useful around here” She said standing up.

“So I've been told” He mumbled.  
  
“Ok, let's take a look at what we are working with here…” Bulma said walking over to him.

She stopped abruptly, dropping the utensils in her hands. Vegeta’s right leg had a clear, clean bite mark, human in shape on his thigh. But it was a dull, white scar, a good deal neater than his bullet wound was.

“No fucking way! That’s the bite mark?!” Bulma said running over to him and grabbing his leg. 

Vegeta flinched at her sudden movements and the touch of her metal hand on his skin. 

“Did one of the creatures do this?” She asked him.

“Yes, I… I don’t know why I didn’t turn like the others” He mumbled.

“Are you sure?” Bulma asked.

“For fuck sake, of course I am! Do you think I don’t know the difference between a human biting me and one of those things biting me? It was a fucking zombie ok? Test my blood.. I’m bound to have the virus” He said crossing his arms.

“No, you’re right. Of course” Bulma said letting go of him.

He turned his head away from her, but watched her out of the corner of his eye turn and pick up the utensils she dropped.

“So you have experienced no other side effects?” She asked.

“No, other than what you explained yesterday. I’ve felt nothing else” He said, as she walked back over toward him.

“No black veins?” She asked point to her face.

“No”

“Hm.” She said.

Bulma took his blood, putting the vials of thick red blood into a pan. She took off her gloves and walked back over to where he sat.

“Do you mind if I inspect your leg further?” She asked.

Vegeta shrugged. “Go ahead” He said.

She bent down and ran her hands up his calf muscles, his leg twitched at her touch, against his will. He grabbed it.

“Be careful, I can’t always control it” He said.

“Sorry, just checking the skin’s reaction, it doesn’t seem the virus has complete control of the limb” She said looking at the wound.

“Sometimes it gets a hold, but I can always gain back control.” He explained.

“Right” She said, touching the scar on his thigh.

The conflicting feelings of her warm skin from her left hand and cold hard metal fingers from her right sent confusing feelings to his brain. But he couldn’t stop thinking that it felt pleasant. It felt amazing to be touched again.  
He took some deep breaths, trying to concentrate on being somewhat normal, with her so close to him. A sweet, cinnamon scent invaded his senses. She smelt fresh and warm like a spring storm, she smelt alive. He found it incredibly arousing, his heart pumped hard inside his chest. He shifted uncomfortably. He was enjoying this too much.  
She looked up into his eyes as he looked down at her. She smiled sweetly at him and it was all he could do not to blush.  
  
“I can smell people...” He said.

“You mean, like the creatures can?” She asked.

“Yes, people who are still alive, not all the time. But when my senses become heightened. I can smell humans from a considerable distance” He explained.

“When your senses are heightened?” She asked, confused.

Vegeta looked down at her hands, still on his bare thigh skin. Bulma gasped and let go of him, suddenly realising what he meant. She blushed and stepped back from him. 

“I understand, sorry If i…” She started.

Vegeta stepped off the bed and reached out for her right arm, he grabbed her cold, hard hand and ran his fingers up the metal cover over her forearm, over connecting hydraulic joints and further up her bicep. He ran his hand back down, holding the weight of her metal forearm in his hand. Bulma’s body shuddered, Vegeta looked at her.  
  
She giggled. “It feels just like a real arm since it is attached to the nerves and the prosthetic has sensors, even more powerful than a real arm. I can feel the warmth of your skin on my arm” She said.

Vegeta flushed hard and immediately let her go. He stepped backwards and crossed his arms over his chest, turning his head away from her gaze.

“The nightmares, they should stop a little while after the limb is amputated, the phantom feeling of the virus should go soon after. I can’t tell you if your sense of smell will go back to normal or not. But that hardly seems like a negative side effect…” Bulma said, clearing up the utensils.  
  
Vegeta watched her move around the lab curiously.

“It will take me and my team 6 months to build your leg, we have an old model prosthetic that just attaches for stability in the meantime” Bulma said.

She turned around and looked at him once again. “Is this really something you want to do?” she asked.

He considered her question for a moment then smirked. “Cut the fucking thing off and give me an upgrade” 


	4. You uptight cunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a decent amount of profanity in this chapter, I'd apologise, but I'm not sorry... 🤷
> 
> Also, I drew a sketch at the end of Vegeta and Bulma. Hope you enjoy it x

Chapter 4

Pursuit of the prey made the hunger in his stomach ignite. It was painfully overwhelming and ferocious. He followed the man's scent until he could lock his vision onto him. The man entered a building a few steps away, Vegeta followed him, inaudibly. Gaining on the man and closing the space between them, Vegeta raised his gun, aiming the butt of it at the man's neck. With one quick, short hard snap the man fell to the floor unconscious. 

Vegeta bared his teeth, snarling and drooling with anticipation. His eyes glazed over white, his skin sunk and stuck to his bones, like the muscles melted away. The skin turned translucent. A thick black sludge surged under his skin and through his veins. He dove his body down, devouring the man's neck.

Vegeta shot up in bed, saturated.   
  
“Shit!” He panted.   
  
After the removal of his right leg, the nightmares seemed to get more intense, vivid and disgustingly brutal. He was ready for them to fuck off now. But at least he wasn't plagued by the virus trying to take over his leg any longer. Moving around was easy, even with the new prosthetic. 

Vegeta sat up and moved to the edge of his bed. Putting on his prosthetic took time, but once he had it on for the day, there was no need to take it off again until he went to bed. He rolled on the silicone cup to even out the end of his leg, where Bulma had amputated his infected leg. Then he positioned the prosthetic liner over his leg, fitting it to his body perfectly. Next he used an alcoholic spray to lubricate the vacuum socket, which was attached to the prosthetic, making it easier to slip onto the liner. He put on the attachment and secured it by standing and putting all of his weight into it, this helped to release the air.   
The feeling of the leg was still somewhat foreign, after decades of not having to use one, but he managed perfectly fine around the compound.

A slight breeze pushed it’s way past him as he opened the door outside. He stepped out into the thick summer air, he saw people gathered on a nearby field. He began to walk toward them. Their positions became clear as he neared. They were playing a game of cricket.

Goku turned around and waved him over.   
  
“Are you going to come play?” Goku called out. 

Vegeta shrugged. “I’ve got business in the lab, maybe another time” Vegeta said walking up to Goku.   
  
A loud groaning, rattling engine made them both turn their attention. Raditz came skidding up to them on a four wheeler, a trailer screaming behind him.   
  
“Never fear, beer wagon is here!” He laughed, halting the bike.

The trailer pushed up against it and smashed still.

“Careful of the beer, you fuckwit!” Goku laughed running over to the trailer.   
  
“There’s beer?” Vegeta asked.   
  
“Yeap, there's a brewery not too far away, we trade with them for batteries that Bulma’s father makes” Raditz explained.

It was full of ice and cans of beer. Goku reached in and grabbed a cold aluminium can, ice still stuck to it as he held it up and worshipped it in all its glory. it cracked open and released the gas within. Goku threw his head back and gulped down the cold liquid. He moaned in pleasure as he swallowed the beer. He turned to Vegeta.

“At least crack a tinny before you go” He smiled, throwing him a can.

“I just woke up” Vegeta said, catching the cold drink.

“It is that time of the year... day drinking holiday season! Beer for breakfast is just a custom around here” Goku said.  
  
Vegeta looked at him and smirked, he pushed up the metal tab, piercing the opening. He tipped the bitter golden liquid down his throat as well. The sharp feeling of the bubbles on his throat felt amazing. The refreshingly frosty liquid quenched his thirst the way only a cold beer could on a cunt of a day like this. He closed his eyes savouring the taste.   
  
“Fuck me dead, that is good” Vegeta smiled.

Goku laughed.

“Come on Goku, drink breaks over! You're long off, get into position you useless cunt!” The others yelled from the pitch.

“Gotcha!” Goku said jogging off.

Raditz saluted Vegeta and drove off. Vegeta continued on to the lab building, sipping his beer as he went. It was nearing christmas, and as the days grew longer and the sun began to burn everything in its path, the insects grew into plague numbers. Making everyone around the compound look like they were giving you a wave, as they swatted flies from their faces.  
  
Vegeta walked into the lab and greeted Bulma with a grunt.

“Is that a beer? Are the fucking Son’s drinking all our beer already?” Bulma yelled.

Vegeta just shrugged and finished off his can, he undressed down to his underwear and sat up on the table she had out as she fitted his prosthetic again.  
  
“The fit looks perfect, how does it feel?” she asked, as Vegeta stood up.

He put all his weight on it and took a few steps around her. “It feels heaps good, but a bit clunkier than what I have now” He said.

“Well you are used to a vacuum prosthetic socket, this is different, once it is attached permanently, it will be drilled into your bone” Bulma explained.

Vegeta winced at her words. “I don’t want to know what you are going to do once you knock me out, keep that to yourself, you sadist!” He said.

Bulma laughed. “Yeah, fair enough”  
  
Vegeta sat back down on the table and Bulma removed the incomplete prosthetic. She walked it over to a bench and started attaching wires to it. Vegeta placed his temporary prosthetic back on.   
  
“I’m going to test the connection to the leg now. So I’m going to attach some sensors to you.” Bulma said, walking over to him with a bunch of wires and suction caps.   
  
“Hn”   
  
She placed them beside Vegeta on the table and moved between his legs without a second thought. Vegeta’s eyes widened as she pressed her body against his. She began attaching sensors to his forehead. Her face was drowning in concentration, she moved down to his chest, placing some around his heart. Her touch was soft and purposeful, sending shivers up his spine. He tried to keep his breathing steady as the machine to the side of him started reading his heart rate. 

Bulma stood back and walked over to the machine. She ran some tests while Vegeta tried to concentrate on a singular spot in the room. He ended up being able to move the leg, even though it was not connected to him directly yet.  
  
“Great work!” Bulma said.

“Can you take these off now?” Vegeta asked.

Bulma rolled her eyes and walked back over to him, pressing herself back up against him, she started to remove the sensors from his body. She looked at his face as she went to reach for his forehead and noticed he was flushed red.

“What’s got you so hot and bothered?” Bulma asked.  
  
Vegeta looked down as she had her hand on his hip bone, supporting herself. Bulma blushed and stepped back.

“You pervert! Why would you be turned on about this? It’s clearly for medical purposes!” Bulma yelled.

“What do you mean? You’re blushing too! Vulgar woman!” Vegeta pointed at her.

Bulma held her hot cheeks, she smirked. “Well, I have an excuse! It’s been years since I’ve been near such a nicely sculpted male body, it’s only natural my body would react!” Bulma laughed, waving off his accusing look.  
  
“Stop fucking with me” 

Bulma gigged. She knew how to get to him and it fucking infuriated him. But he couldn't help enjoying it either.

“Anyway, the test went well. We should be ready to attach the prosthetic to your nerves by the end of the month!” Bulma said, busying herself and not looking at Vegeta.

Vegeta watched her move about the room, she grabbed his prosthetic leg and began to place it back in the storage unit. She suddenly stopped, almost tripping over herself and bent over slightly. Grabbing at her body. Vegeta eyed her curiously as she took deep breaths, steadied herself then went on like nothing had happened.

* * *

“Grab the men, I’m calling a meeting” Bardock said to a smaller man as Vegeta passed him.

“Vegeta, come with me, I need your expertise” Bardock said.

Vegeta turned and nodded, following Bardock toward the military barracks. They walked into a hall, where desks and chairs had been centered around a whiteboard. Vegeta sat towards the side as more and more men began to fill the room. Raditz and Goku sat down beside him as Bardock got up to the whiteboard.

“We have gotten word from the Ingalnore compound this morning of some hazardous news. The Hostiles have taken over the Hoton dam” Bardock said.

The room erupted in murmurs.

“Fuck, for real?” Goku asked.

“Yes, It is a tricky situation, the Hoton supplies us with 90% of our water. The entire Ingalnore team stationed at the dam have been executed. The Hostiles now control it entirely.” Bardock explained.  
  
“How many weeks supply does the compound hold?” Vegeta asked.

“Two weeks on level 4 restrictions,” Bardock said.

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows, not good news.

“So what’s the plan?” Raditz asked.

“We send two teams, approaching from either side of the dam. They will be small teams, as this take over of the dam could very well be a trap to lure us out of the compound.” Bardock said.

“Are the Ingalnore teams as well equipped as the men here?” Vegeta asked.

Bardock smirked. “For those of you not already aware, this is Vegeta, he was a sergeant of the 3 sabre squadron before this all went to shit. He’s SASR” Barodck said gesturing toward Vegeta.

Vegeta crossed his arms as he heard whispers around the room.

“He will be working closely with us to plan this mission, he has brought some valuable equipment with him to help get the job done. Once he has recovered and has his certified badass prosthetic leg, he will be leading missions like this. But for now, he is an advisor” Bardock said.

Some of the men clapped and cheered, Vegeta didn’t move.

“Right, let’s get to work men” Bardock said, uncapping a whiteboard marker.  
  
Vegeta felt a surge of adrenaline sweep through his body, it felt unimaginably enticing to have some purpose again. Something other than survival.

* * *

  
Pain radiating from his muscles was dull but taxing. He stretched out his arms, feeling the pull of the tight muscles and groaning at the feeling of release.   
  
“Vegeta!” Raditz called from a distance.

He looked up, seeing the tall man standing by another man, holding a beer. Vegeta walked over to him.  
  
“How was the workout?” Raditz asked.

“Good, what is going on?” Vegeta asked, looking around.

Half a dozen groups of men and women were strung about the courtyard of the mess hall. Laughter and loud conversations filled the air.   
  
“It’s the Christmas party, didn’t you get the invite?” Raditz asked.

Vegeta shrugged, he probably did, but he had zero interest in it. 

“Well come and let off some steam..” Raditz said.

His voice became muffled and Vegeta’s mind fuzzed over. He was transported back in time, to his memories.   
  
_“Come let off some steam you uptight cunt”_ A man said, still dressed in camos.

Vegeta felt his heart racing, memories flooding his mind and senses. He was incapable of moving on from this memory until it had run its course, like his brain was stuck on the track until the end. The man's face was distorted, but Vegeta recognised who it was, and what place in time it was from. This man was long dead, Vegeta had witnessed it not four hours later from that moment.  
He snapped back to the current time suddenly. Raditz had a concerned look on his face. Vegeta turned away from his gaze, loneliness engulfed him. His mind had completely erased his ability to reach for Raditz metaphorically outstretched hand.

“Nah, think I’ll just head to bed” Vegeta said, walking away.

“No worries man” Raditz said.

Vegeta walked past a group of people, he met the gaze of one of them. A stunning blue and a glazed over white eye. Apprehension distorted her features. Vegeta looked away and continued walking, hoping she had not seen his reaction to Raditz's comment. The last he needed was the intelligent, infuriating woman inserting herself into his past.


	5. Please I want more

Chapter 5

  
  


Cinnamon and a fresh floral scent slowly began to fill his senses, her skin was warm and supple, its touch sending shockwaves up his spine.

she moaned out as he kissed her chest and cupped her breasts. He kissed down and began licking and sucking her nipples. moving his hands down her back and pulling in her hips tight up against him.

"I want you inside me" She moaned.

"feeling greedy aren't we?" Vegeta said between kisses.

“Please Vegeta, fuck me” She said.  
  
He growled and reached down to her panties, pulling them off her forcefully.

 _BBBBBZZZZTTTTT_ _  
__  
_Vegeta’s eyes shot open as his phone vibrated on the desk beside him angrily. 4:15am it showed on screen as it flashed. The imagine and feeling of Bulma’s skin fading softly as his eyes adjusted to the dark room.  
  
“Fuck…” He whined.

His cock pushed against his briefs, begging him to relieve himself. Being on his own for years was easy enough to get through, especially with the threat of danger and death around most corners, he hardly had time to be turned on. But being in a safe compound, surrounded by fit, young attractive women was starting to become an issue for him. Especially Bulma.  
Vegeta shut his eyes, allowing himself to picture her body, imaging it naked in front of him. He groaned as the sight of her plump breast, desirable curves and pretty face came to the front of his mind. He stroked his hard shaft, easing himself into a quick orgasm.

* * *

  
They left before the sun rose. Due to his temporary prosthetic slowing him down, Vegeta sat out of the operation. But he joined Bardock as operation management. Organising and updating the teams on the ground. The men from the Ingalnore teams were decently equipped as Bardock had told him they would be. Vegeta led the briefing of the mission and sat on the communication controls with Bardock after the operation started.  
  
Surprisingly the operation went off without any casualties from their side. The entire group of hostels were taken out, with only one survivor they would interrogate back at the Ingalnore compound. A team of three men for the Brief compound would stay behind and help lead a security squad at the dam.  
It took a number of hours to drive back to the compound, the sun was almost at the highest point in the sky, marking the hottest part of the day.

“There is bound to be a backlash, what can we expect?” Vegeta asked, as the two men got out of the ute and grabbed the weapon bags from the back of the cab.

Bardock sighed. “There’s no telling really, they are subgroups, not completely organised, so anything is possible at this point. But in the past it has been merchants and smaller outposts that pay the price.” He said.

“Have you been looking out for indications of organisation?” Vegeta asked.

“Unfortunately, we only have the manpower to put fires out” Bardock said.

“Hn”  
  
“That’s why you came to us, just in time” Bardock said.

“It’s good to have direction again” Vegeta admitted.

“A man with no purpose, it’s not what I would describe you as” Bardock said.

“Not always, though the purpose left pretty quickly when the fucking creatures started eating everyone” Vegeta said.

“You came here, didn’t ya?” Bardock asked.

“Yeah…”  
  
“Looking for some purpose” Bardock said.

“Yeah” 

“What’s he looking for? A new head to replace that ugly mug?” Bulma said, poking her tongue out.

“Oh, opposed to your half dead mug?” Vegeta fired back.

"You take that back! I rock this zombie eye!" Bulma barked.

Bardock sniggered. “I’ll leave you kids to play, I’m not one to get in the way of hormones, creepy fucking zombie ones at that” He laughed, walking off.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” The both yelled in unison.

“The nerve of that old man!’ Bulma said, putting her hands on her hips. 

Her back was facing him as she watched Bardock leave. She had tight denim shorts on and a loose white top. He could see the knot of her bikini through the back of the thin, white material. Her blue hair was being pushed around her head by the wind.

Bardock's comments flicked across his mind, Vegeta had assumed only he and Bulma felt what was developing between them. How wrong he had been. Were they totally transparent in their desire to fuck each other? His cheeks flushed red, embarrassment and zombie-fucking-hormones had mixed together and made his heart beat fast.

Vegeta looked up from his daydream to see Bulma’s face smiling at him.

“Is it my amazing body or sharp comebacks that get you going so much? Or maybe you love the way I push your buttons?” She smirked.

“You’re obnoxious!” Vegeta said, crossing his arms.

Bulma laughed and stepped forward into his personal space. “I would consider it, if you come out and admit it to me” She said.

“Admit what? Consider what?” Vegeta said.

“Admit you are attracted to me, do it and I’ll think about doing some fun stuff with you, dingus!” She said, flicking his forehead.

“Piss off and stop fucking with me!” Vegeta growled.

She smiled again, this time sweetly. He watched her mouth curve up into an unadulterated grin, pure happiness illuminated her face. She really did love to fuck with him, and she could do it proficiently with only a few words.

“Alright, alright, you big sook! How about you come with me for a drive? There is a weather station that needs its data collected and the drive is shit to do alone. plus, I’d need a shooting partner” She winked.

“What would I be shooting?” Vegeta asked.

* * *

  
Open paddocks of a once cultivated farming area were overgrown by weeds and collapsing houses. Expensive farming machinery left to rusty and break in the harsh conditions of the Australian Outback.  
The ute screamed past on the dirty road, erupting a weather system of dust behind it.

 _Maybe I'm a different breed._  
 _Maybe I'm not listening_.  
 _So blame it on my A.D.D. baby.  
  
Sail.  
_

Music blared from the cab as Vegeta pulled the trigger, immediately blowing out the brains at the front of the skull.

"Yeeesss!" Bulma cried from the front seat. "10 points!"

Vegeta smirked and held the scope up to his eyes level again. Aimed for the back of the skull and fired. More zombie brains splattered across the red dirt, the thudding sound of the body heard even through the loud Awolnation song.

Bulma's arm was making a loud pinging sound as she hit the dashboard in praise.

"You really know how to handle that thing!" She yelled above the music and wind.

Vegeta couldn't help it, he smiled hard until his face and jaw hurt. This was the most fun he had in years. He enjoyed the live practice, to keep his skills tight. But, he had never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would be standing in the back of a ute, aiming at zombies, blowing brains out, while a badass, enticing woman drove with a robotic arm in the front.

He chuckled at the circumstance he found himself in and pulled his scope back up to eye level. locking in on a 7ft beast with a wife beater on, he unloaded the bullet into the creatures head, exploding it.

They drove for another twenty minutes until they reached their destination. The tyres skidded to a stop, sliding in the sand as the chassis shook. Vegeta put his gun back into the duffel bag and slid his way out of the tray. Bringing the bag with him.

They walked inside and Bulma began hooking up her laptop. She was squatting down typing and watching the screen for a few moments before she stood back up and faced Vegeta.

"Well, that is going to take a good few hours! What do you say? Wanna go for a swim?" She asked.

Vegeta grunted affirmatively and Bulma led him outside.

"There's a river running past down here, down that pathway" She said pointing.

"Lets go" Vegeta said, walking off without her.

he heard her feet smacking the ground as she ran to catch up with him.

"So the mission was a success I heard!" Bulma said.

"It was an easy task" Vegeta said.

"Compared to what you are used to?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta didn't answer her, she was too intuitive for her own good sometimes. He didn't feel like being some puzzle for Bulma to solve today.

"You've never told me how you ended up getting bitten on your arm" Vegeta said.

"Oh, well… "She started. 

"Let me guess, It was your fault wasn't it?" Vegeta laughed. 

Bulma growled and whacked him with her prosthetic arm. Vegeta yelped as the metal contacted his flesh, sending a jarring, stinging pain to his brain.

"Watch it! Fuck me!" He said rubbing his arm.

"You wish jellyfish!" Bulma laughed, running ahead.

Instinct kicked in and before Vegeta knew it, he was chasing after her. They ran through the overgrown pathway. Vegeta was losing her around the bends, his prosthetic not able to keep up with her sharp turns.

Bulma reached the shore line first, she tried to take her shorts off, but Vegeta grabbed her, and threw her in before she could.

Bulma squealed and her body hit the water with a loud slap. Vegeta laughed and pulled off his shirt, slowly getting into the cool still water.

* * *

Bulma's shorts were laying out on a rock, drying in the sun, she lay next to them in the sweltering sun, her legs hanging over a ridge, slowly swinging. Vegeta sat upright next to her, leaning on his knees, as they both dried off their bodies.

Vegeta looked over toward Bulma, she had her hand over her eyes, shielding them from the sun's rays. She had a bikini on, but she kept the white t-shirt on over the top. 

He thought back on it, she rarely wore anything overtly revealing like some of the other women did on the compound. He didn't blame them, if breasts were anything like balls, keeping them confined in an Australian summer was torturous. 

Bulma seemed to be uncomfortably hot in most outdoor situations. He wondered why she always wore so many layers when it was clearly acceptable for her to just wear a small top or swimwear. 

Bulma looked up at Vegeta staring at her. She giggled and he turned away.

"I didn't strap the specimen in properly" she said, finally.

Vegeta looked back at her, confusion overbearing his facial expression. "What?"

"Before, you wanted to know what happened when I was bitten. I didn't strap the bitch in properly" Bulma said.

Vegeta smirked and looked out over the small oasis of gum trees, red eroded ancient rocks, and coarse dark river sand that shaped the miniature escarpment. Silently listening to Bulma.

"I was exhausted, it was when we first were building the walls around the compound. Everyone was getting sick, bitten and dying, we had little food and water. I was so tired from helping to try and save a mother, who was going into a dangerous birth. I forgot the fucking strapping had to be locked twice" she said.

"Do you still dream about it?" Vegeta asked.

"Sometimes, more often than not, I think it is just because I want a redo" She said.

"Redo? You're better now than you were before, stronger, more capable. Why would you want to change that?" Vegeta asked.

Bulma sat up with him and smiled, a painful kind of smile, one that you give someone for the last time. "Because…" She trailed off, thinking of her next words. "It's lonely sometimes, being the only one" She said.

"With a kick-ass arm?" 

"No…" 

Vegeta frowned at her, confused. "Then what?" he asked.

"Being the only one infected and still be alive" She said.

"Tch" Vegeta scoffed. "Well now you have another guinea pig to poke and harass."

"It's still lonely" Bulma said.

"The fact you have the virus, It changes nothing, you are still around people all the time. You are not lonely" Vegeta said.

Bulma laughed. "Fuck you are an idiot sometimes, that's not what I mean!" She said.

"Then say what you mean, stop being cryptic " Vegeta huffed.

"I haven't kissed anyone in years, let alone been intimate in any way" Bulma said.

Vegeta heard the pain coming through her voice. He too had not been intimate with someone in a long time. She was the first person to even touch him in years. But she seemed to be affected by this isolation more than he had been. He understood her concerns though. The virus was still living inside of them both. There was a chance they would turn anyone who didn't have the antibodies for it already. Hell, Vegeta was immune to it, and the only person she could get close to without fear.  
Vegeta's mind clicked, he understood in the moment why she was telling him. He reached out and grabbed Bulma's arm. Before she could object, he pulled her body so she fell into his lap. Bulma's hand reached out and rested on his chest.

"What are y…" 

Vegeta slipped his hands through her hair and pulled her head in, kissing her lips hard. She reciprocated immediately, kissing him hungrily and crawling onto him, straddling his lap, sliding her hips up and down on him. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she followed his lead. they explored her mouth. softly biting and searching each other's body with their hands. Vegeta felt himself grow hard underneath her body's weight and her rhythmic grinding.

Bulma pulled away quickly, her face was flushed with anticipation. Vegeta smirked and pushed her hair away from her left eye, the scarred one.

"Is that better now, you whinger?" He asked, smirking.

Bulma seemed to catch her breath and she suddenly whacked him on his arm again and stood up.

"Ow! Fuck!" He said, grabbing his arm.

"You pervert! You're excited just by a kiss?" She said, hot and flustered, pointing at his hard cock.

Vegeta laughed and shook his head. "You were grinding your hips on me, what did you think was going to happen?" He said, laying down and putting his arms behind his head.

"Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the kiss, it was an amazing moment. But I could've done without..." Bulma started.

"It's as if you don't know how this works?" Vegeta said.

Bulma's face dropped and she looked away. "So what if i don't?" She said.

Vegeta was stunned, he looked at her, his mouth wide open in shock. 

"Wait, you've never had sex with anyone before?" Vegeta asked.

"Yes I have! One time, before the virus outbreak. but I was severely intoxicated and just wanted to get it over and done with. I don't remember much of it. But other than that my experience has been few and far between" Bulma admitted. 

"It really isn't any of my business what you've done before. And besides, a zombie apocalypse happened right as you were finishing high school…" Vegeta said.

"I graduated University three years before the outbreak" Bulma explained.

Vegeta shot a look at her. "You what? you would have been what fifteen? Sixteen?" He asked.

"Fourteen, almost fifteen. I started working for my father soon after" Bulma said.

"Well, that makes sense. Why someone just barely in their twenties is so accomplished" Vegeta said.

"How many times have you fucked a woman before?" She asked.

Vegeta smirked. "Enough times" He said.

"Enough times to what?" She asked.

"To know what I'm doing" He smirked.

"Will you show me?" Bulma blushed.

Vegeta grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap again. She let herself be led and she straddled his lap. Vegeta moved his hands up to her face and pulled her in for another kiss. He kissed her lips softly, breaking it to kiss her neck. She shuddered as his hands moved down her body and up under her shirt.

He gently slid her fingers across her back, making her skin tighten with goosebumps.

She let out a soft moan and pulled his face up from her neck and kissed him hard. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body in close to his. thrusting his hips into hers, she reciprocated by grinding back on him eagerly. 

She broke their kiss. "This feels so good, please I want more" She said between breaths.

Vegeta growled and kissed her neck. He moved his hand down her back and pulled it around to the front, slowly but expressly stroking long and hard down and under her swimmer bottoms. Vegeta whimpered as she pushed her hips against his touch, urging him to go further, to touch her more. He toyed with the outside of her swimmer stitching as she moaned louder. He kept stroking and touching the skin around her inner thighs, she kept in time with his rhythm, rocking her hips. He was enjoying the feeling her shuddered and rock with each touch.  
He was rock hard now with her anticipation invading his own body. Vegeta had to stop himself from ripping the remainder of her clothes off, he wanted to go further, to feel more of her but now was not the time. Getting caught out at dusk could be extremely dangerous, and they were going to be losing light soon.

"Come on, we better head back before the roos come out" Vegeta said, softly picking her up off his lap.

She stood up and frowned at him in disappointment, but she must have agreed with his sentiment because she grabbed her shorts and put them on. Then proceeded to lead Vegeta back to the weather station without another word.


	6. Fucking hell

Chapter 6

Six months at the compound seemed like a moment against the wearisome, drawn out years alone evading zombies. Only off by a few months of her estimated time, Bulma had finished his prosthetic leg well within six months. Five months, one week and two days to be exact. It was scheduled to be attached before the start of April. But small attacks from the hostiles delayed the programming. Bulma insisted on helping a road crew delivering merchants. The righteous, headstrong, morally rich scientist always got her way.  
After he had been bitten years ago, he assumed he would be stuck with the affected leg for the rest of his miserable life. Until he saw her arm that scorching day, it was almost impossible for him to accept until he saw her in action with it. After witnessing it, when she offered, he did not hesitate to allow her to chop off the abhorrent leg.  
The day had come to fit his permanent prosthetic, attaching it to his nerves. It would truly be his.

Vegeta walked up to the lab, so familiar with the building he opened the door handle and walked straight in without a second thought.  
He walked around to the main room where Bulma should be waiting for him, he looked around, unable to see her. He walked in further, looking for the blue haired scientist. A room with computers and further testing equipment is where he found her, she was just in shorts, her torso uncovered and naked. She was standing side on to him, but he could see what she was doing.  
Vegeta watched as she played with the laptop, her prosthetic hooked up with cables. He cleared his throat to alert her.

“What the fuck!” She yelled, jumping slightly. 

She grabbed at her chest, pulling out some of the cords as she went. Her face flushed hot red as she yelled further obscenities at Vegeta, she scurried for her top as he backed out, trying to avert his eyes.

She had been eager and willing for intimate contact only weeks before. What had changed? Bulma had been distant, but her work on his leg took up the majority of her time. He had actually admired her determination to her work. She was in the lab for sixteen plus hours a day, some days. He hadn't seen her much at all, and definitely not in a similar situation as at the weather station, but all seemed well. So he was not worried about her overthinking their intimate moment and regretting it. She had been busy. So what was with the regression just now? Could he had misread her? He hadn’t meant to walk in on her.

“You could knock next time! Jeez, give a girl some warning!” Bulma grumbled, finally joining him.

Vegeta just stood with his arms crossed, he shrugged at her, unable to understand what the deal was. He thought it best to keep his mouth shut at this point, or risk pissing her off.

“Well, anyway, are you ready to fit this baby on forever?” Bulma smiled, patting the leg as it sat on a nearby bench.

Bulma conducted three more tests on Vegeta’s leg, and fitted it one last time before four more medical staff came down to assist her. Vegeta was put into a hospital gown and taken to an operating room. The routine had been similar when they removed his leg, the surgeon was again present with Bulma for the attachment of his forever limb, as Bulma called it.  
  
“Count to ten for me Vegeta” The anesthetist said, looking down at him.

“1...2...3…” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Vegeta’s eyes shot open, the blackness lasted maybe a minute then he was awake again. The coarse, harsh feeling in his throat kept him from calling out. But who would he call out for? Everyone had left him, he was alone. How did he end up here?  
  
“Vegeta can you hear me mate?” A voice said.

He grunted, looking between the two faces. He didn’t recognise them with their masks on. It wasn’t until a third person came into view did the memories start flooding back

A blue eyes and a white glazed over one.

“Bulma?” He croaked.

He tried to get up, several hands grabbed softly and pushed him back down.

“Ease up, you’ve just woken up. You need to rest” Bulma said behind a mask.

“Where am I?” He asked.

“You’re in the operating room two, we’ve finished attaching your forever limb. Can you feel this?” Bulma asked.

She slipped her hand softly over his right leg. Her warm soft touch sent pleasant currents up his spine. 

“Yes” He said.

They all looked at each other. “Excellent, even faster than you Bulma” One said.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

_They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;_

_Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn._

_At the going down of the sun and in the morning_

_We will remember them._

“Lest we forget” Everyone said in unison.

As if on cue the sun pierce through the morning fog, rising over the horizon and illuminating the land below it. The animals were waking up, singing and rising with the sun.

Vegeta looked out over the scenery as the last post began to play. The overwhelming feeling of loss and sorrow filled him. Stabbing him violently in the chest.  
Being able to remember today was a special moment for him. On the day of remembering fallen diggers, he gave himself permission. This was the first time he was able to stop and completely allow his fallen brothers to enter his mind in years. Some of them died protecting innocent people in war zones, others during battles, some from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and more were taken down by the creatures that now plague the globe. But all of them stung him all at once. 

Vegeta hung his head and let the sound of the trumpet penetrate his ears. It only slightly drowned out the screams, moans and pleas that consumed his consciousness. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

A tall burly man held his token up, tapping his head. Vegeta handed the man his drink token, beating on tails for the win.

“TAILS WINS!”

Vegeta smirked and took the two drink tokens off the man.  
Today, ANZAC day, would completely clear out their stores of alcohol. So tokens were given out and everyone began betting with them. Vegeta moved to the bar and handed both of the tokens over, he collected his two beers and walked over to Bardock and Goku. Who were standing around watching others play two-up. A traditional game played on ANZAC day.

They both turned to greet him. “Any luck?” Bardock asked.

Vegeta just lifted both his hands, showing them he was double parked. Goku laughed.

“Raditz has almost lost all of his tokens already, the dumbcunt!” Goku said, pointing to the taller man in the crowd.

“We can’t all be winners!” Bardock said.

“Is this the first time you’ve celebrated since the virus struck?” Goku asked.

“Yeah, it is. I can’t believe it, it feels like nothing ever happened…” Vegeta trailed off, looking around the outdoor area of the mess hall. 

Everyone wore a sprig of rosemary that was pinned to their clothing and red poppies decorated the tables and fences. Most people wore their ceremonial dress uniform, others who were not military wore formal attire. 

“Yeah the girls do a good job making the place look and feel like it used to, I think those we lost would be happy for us to stop for a day and celebrate like this” Bardock said, sipping his beer.

“How’s the leg going!” Raditz said, fist pumping Vegeta as he walked up to the group.

“I haven’t had a chance to really put it to the test yet, but I went for a jog yesterday and I have to say, it feels real comfortable” Vegeta said, stomping his right leg into the dirt. 

The ground shook slightly at his force. The three mens faces dropped as a small crater formed. People with a few meters turned and looked to see what the commotion was. After they realised Vegeta had made a hole in the ground with his prosthetic, they went back to drinking and chatting loudly.

“Holy shit!” Goku said.

“That’s some power you have there!” Bardock said.

“Hn”

Vegeta felt something impaling into him. He looked past the men, his eyes drawn to the side of the mess hall. He met Bulma’s heterochromic gaze, he immediately understood her facial expressions.

“Here” Vegeta said, passing Raditz one of his beers.

“Thanks man! I was getting completely fucked over out there!” Raditz said, happily taking the can.

Vegeta walked away from the three men as they began conversing again. He made his way over to Bulma, she let him advance within ear shot and she pushed herself off the wall and began walking away from him. She slipped between the mess hall and the adjacent building. Vegeta looked around, making sure no one was watching and when he was satisfied he followed her. 

Bulma rounded another corner as he entered the small passageway, the anticipation began to run through his veins. His senses came alive and her distinct smell was illuminated. He stepped around the corner and found her seated on a nearby table, her back to him.  
The light from the sun was falling below the buildings and trees of the compound, it would soon be dusk and the air was growing crisp and frosty. Vegeta sat next to Bulma on the table, putting his beer down next to him.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Bulma asked.

“It’s an experience” He said, leaning back on his arms. 

He pulled his leg up, resting it on the bench set. Bulma looked down at it, she hovered her metal arm slightly above it. Well aware of the feeling it would create in his artificial limb. He twitched and shuddered.  
  
“Don’t do that! I haven’t gotten used to the heightened feelings from it yet” Vegeta said, pushing her arm away.

She giggled and drank more of her wine. She put it aside too and lent back on her arms with him. 

“How is the leg going, _really_?” She asked.

Vegeta shrugged. She really was the only one who would understand what he was going through.

“It’s… ok. It’s still, foreign...” He said.

“It does take time, I know I have said it before. But each day it will become a little, tiny bit more a part of you. Until one day you will wake up a cyborg!” She teased.

“Tch”  
  
Bulma giggled again. “I saw you running on it though, very impressive, in such a short amount of time too” She said.

“I’m impatient” He replied.

Bulma sat back up, she moved closer to him so her leg was touching his metal skin. 

“So am I” She looked back over her shoulder at him with her blue eye.

_Thump. Thump._

He smirked. “Is that so? It’s been weeks…” Vegeta said.

“I was busy! Building your forever limb!” She said, huffing.

Vegeta laughed. 

“I’m not the one complaining, just making an observation… You obviously have _some_ patience” He said, sitting up.

“When I’m distracted, sure, but now my mind is free to wander…” She said, moving her shoulder close to his.

Cinnamon and freshly mowed grass filled his sense of smell. He slowly moved his hand down his own metal thigh, slipping it over to her bare skin and tracing upwards. She moaned hard at his touch. 

Her skin was hot already, it pricked up as the brush of his finger set her hairs on end.  
He lent in and kissed her softly, her cheeks felt hot against his as he put his hand on her face, pulling her closer to him. Her hand landed on his thigh and slid it up and lingered over his growing bulge. 

“Already?” She said through their kiss.

“It’s been weeks…” He reminded her.  
  
Whatever he said or did, it ignited her.

“Touch me” She said suddenly, grabbing his hand from her face and leading it down under her skirt and onto her inner thigh. 

Vegeta growled and kissed her hard. He traced his fingers, teasing them on her bare skin. She was squirming, urging him inside the fabric. He skimmed over the fabric and she bit down hard on his bottom lip. 

Deciding not to tease her anymore, he pulled her panties aside and softly slid his fingers across her slit, slicking his fingers in her wetness.

“Fucking hell” He whispered though their kiss.

She moaned loudly as he traced circles up and down her lips, teasing around her swollen bud. She rocked her hips in rhythm with him and he felt himself twitching inside his pants. 

“He is a fucking joke! He should be wrestling with us” Vegeta heard them before they reached the end of the buildings. 

He shifted over, removing his hand from Bulma’s centre and pulled away from their kiss. He picked up his beer as the two women came around the corner. 

Bulma punched him in the arm. He shot her a look, expressing his confusion.

“There you are!” 18 said as her and Chichi walked over.

“Hey girls!” Bulma smiled, turning around to greet her friends.

“Raditz traded some fireworks, he is about to light them in the bottom field!” Chichi said, running over to Bulma.

“Hi Vegeta!” Chichi said.

He just waved his hand at her and continued drinking his beer. He was trapped there until his hard dick went away. He bent over to hide it.

“Bardock is going apeshit!” 18 said laughing.

“Of course he is! He fucking almost lit the crops on fire at New Year, maybe we should go help stop him” Bulma said standing up.

Before she began walking away she turned to Vegeta.

“We can set up a time to finish that touch test, you know, for your leg” She winked.

Vegeta flushed hard and grunted at her. She picked up her drink and walked off with the two women. Vegeta sighed and drank the rest of his beer.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“The scouting parties from the Karmor compound found it. The weren’t sure of the chemicals and had no way to transport them back. They knew we had a medical team, all they asked for the information is half the supplies” Bardock said, sitting in the back of the ute.

“Half?” Vegeta asked.

“Standard” Bulma interjected.

“So we need to assemble a team, the place is crawling with creatures” Bardock said.

“I will be on that team” Bulma demanded.

“No fucking way” Vegeta scoffed.

“You don’t get to decide what I do, Vegeta!” Bulma said, gritting her teeth.

“It’s dangerous, you’re not trained and yes I do, that’s my job! If the compound lost you...” He bit back.

“I have combat experience, I am trained to read the chemical and compound information on the labels, and I know what we need to take back and what we don’t!” She said.

“Bulma’s right Vegeta, we need her on this one” Bardock said.

“Tch”  
  
Bulma smirked at him, gloating her win over him. He looked away from her, ignoring the rest of the conversation until they arrived at their destination. 

“Over yonder, past the tree line, see them?” The drive shouted out the window.  
  
“Yeah, take us off road” Bardock said.

The three stood up, waiting for the drop off point. Two other utes followed behind. The utes would make for a distraction while the ground soldiers picked the horse off around the edges. 

They got into their formations and began aiming and shooting the zombies. A large portion of the horde trailed off after the utes. A group of twenty came straight for Bardock, Bulma and Vegeta. They took out as many as they could before Bulma and Vegeta disengaged their weapons.

They took a position to the side of Bardock waiting for the right moment. A decent sized group of creatures still came for them. Vegeta Bulma watched each other and lined the group up.  
  
“Now!” Vegeta called out. 

Bulma took a heavy swing at the ground at the same time Vegeta swung his leg out and pumped it into the ground. The shockwave from the two impacts crashed out and into each other. Opening up the earth and swallowing the zombies.  
They both brought their weapons back up and picked off the struggling zombies, one by one.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Bulma watched him use his substantially solid arms to pull the heaviest cases off the back of the ute like they were nothing. She followed suit and unpacked with her metal arm. It sure did help having two enhanced humans around. She began to walk back to the military barracks and Vegeta walked up beside her.

“You should really reconsider this operation” Vegeta said.

“Vegeta, you need me, just admit it!” Bulma winked.

“What if I wore a body worn camera? Could that work?” He asked.

“Sure, but we don’t have any” Bulma answered.

“I have two” Vegeta smirked.

They snuck off toward his unit, leaving Bardock and the others to unpack. Bulma followed him as he unlocked his door and walked in. She looked around and he put his keys down and went into another room. Probably to find the devices.

His unit was tidy and clean, she didn’t expect any less of him. She was suddenly aware that she was alone with Vegeta in his quarters. With nowhere to be and no one to bother them. She began to grow hot under her clothes when she saw it. A skin coloured t-shirt, the one he had worn the day she first met him. She picked it up off the chair it hung over. She brought it up to her face and breath in his scent. It was clean and crisp, but heady with his body smell. Redolent of earthy, wooden aromas, her heart beat fast at its smell. Memories flooding her mind.  
She had loved the way he smelt from the first day he jumped into her ute. She placed the shirt back as she heard him closing drawers. He reappeared with two smallish cameras in his hands. Bulma reached out for them as he handed them to her. She inspected them with a grin on her face.

“Wow, these are amazing! Military grade, night vision, I am impressed! I will take them and try to rig them up, it will be hard without an internet connection” She said, sitting down on his bed.

“So you agree to staying here?” Vegeta asked, standing in front of her.

“No dumbass I’m still going” She laughed.

“Bulma!” He said.

“Vegeta!” She replied.

He scowled at her.  
  
“You are sexy when you’re angry” She said.

He stepped closer to her and grabbed the cameras out of her hands. He placed them beside the bed.  
  
“Maybe I can convince you in another way?” He asked, still standing over her sliding his fingers through her soft hair.

She blushed as he lent down and kissed her. She eagerly flicked her tongue inside his mouth and ran her hands through his hair. 

“You do owe me after the other day” She said, breaking their kiss.  
  
Vegeta reached over his body and pulled his shirt off. Discarding it below him. Bulma watched his body bend and his arm muscles flex as he unbuckled and removed his camo pants as well. Her heart started pounding in her chest as adrenaline pumped around her body. Fuck he was hot.

She shyly reached out and touched his tight, shredded abdomen. He stepped closer to her as she ran her fingers over his cock. He twitched and grew hard as she wrapped them around his shaft. He pulled down his briefs slightly, allowing her to pull him free. Her hand was shaking as she reached in, feeling his skin and thick hard shaft. She felt her face grow red and flustered. She focused on trying to concentrate on her hand movement. Vegeta put his hand over hers and showed her how he liked to be touched. She eagerly copied his stroking and he closed his eyes again. He moaned at her touch. 

“Like this?” She asked shyly. 

He looked into her eyes and nodded. She bit her lip slightly as her eyes ran down his body, soaking him in. His body was amazing, broad shoulders, thick chest, flat stomach muscles which formed a v-shape down into his briefs. She leant forward and softly licked the liquid coming from the tip. He let moans escape as she worked her hand up and down along with her sucking and licking.  
Not being able to take much more he grabbed her arms and pulled her up. She protested slightly, but began pulling down her pants, dropping them to her feet. Her heart was going a million miles an hour now inside her chest.

“This is _my_ convincing session” He growled, kissing her. 

Bulma allowed him to push her softly onto the bed. She brought up her hands and covered her face nervously. Vegeta crawled onto the bed after her, leaning over her and kissing her hard. Her hands found their way up into his hair again, fervently pulling him closer. She wanted to feel his skin against her skin until she was too tired to think. 

He reached down and pulled her underwear down. Bulma’s breathing intensified and her face grew blistering hot.

“Is this ok?” He asked, breaking their kiss and looking at her.

She nodded. Vegeta knelt up, sliding her underwear down her thighs and calves, off her body. Bulma held her hands up to her face timidly, as he gently pushed her legs apart. Vegeta growled as he took in the sight of her exposed to him.  
  
“Look at me” He said softly.

Bulma put her hands down and opened her eyes. She watched him absorbing her exposed slit longingly. Vegeta began to kiss up her legs. She moaned as his hands and mouth explored her thighs.

He ran his hands up her stomach and tried to push her shirt up. She felt a sudden sharp ping of anxiety. She quickly grabbed his hands and pushed them back down to her thighs. He obeyed her soundless command.  
He kissed around her entrance, breathing her sex in. “You smell amazing” He said, laying down and putting her legs over his shoulders.

“Oh my god” She whimpered.

She started shivering in pleasure as he kissed and licked her slit, tasting her hungrily. He teased and licked at her puffed clit. 

Bulma let out a gasp as he flicked and sucked on her. He seemed encouraged as her legs quivered and she rocked her hips. He pushed two fingers against her opening, coating them in her wetness. She bucked against him as he slid inside her, pushing up against her wall and flicking his fingers inside her.  
Bulma grabbed onto the sheets, pulling and squeezing them. She moaned louder, his wet tongue felt amazing against her sensitive lips and clit. She had imagined what he would do to her, although the actual reality was so much better than she could have ever imagined. She was so turned on she could cum on his fingers right there and then.  
Like her could read her mind, he pressed against a soft, enlarged part inside her. Sending electric currents up her back. He began tracing circles around her clit as she felt herself gaining climax.  
Bulma couldn’t hold it anymore and she tensed her pelvis, quivering as she was brought to the edge. She fell over the edge in a wave of shuddering pleasure. He didn’t stop until she told him too.

Bulma tried to catch her breath as Vegeta sat up. He was wiping his mouth as she looked up at him. His cock was hard up against him.  
  
“Are we going to have sex now?” She asked.

“Only if you want to, I won’t do anything you don’t want to do” He said. 

Bulma sat up and wrapped her hands around his cock. He groaned as she slid her hand up and down and over his tip. She moved onto her knees and bent down to lick and suck him again.

“You are going to make me explode doing that” He grunted.

“Is that what you want?” She asked, removing her mouth from his tip.

“Yes, so badly” He said.

She kept up her rhythm, using her hand and sucking over his tip. His balls tightened as he came close to his orgasm. He pulled at her arms motioning her upwards. She sat up and kissed him hard. He put his hands into her hair and pulled slightly as her hand slid up and down on his wet shaft.  
Vegeta tensed and groaned as he reached climax. Bulma bit his lip softly as he moaned.  
They kissed for a moment more before they got up and cleaned themselves off.

Vegeta flopped himself back onto the bed and held his hand out towards Bulma. She took it and relaxed down next to him, resting her head on his chest. He played with her metal hand as she drifted off to sleep, listening to his heartbeat and taking in his scent.


	7. You fucking asshole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning for violence.

Chapter 7   
  
  


Ass cheeks bounced and flexed with every step she took. Jiggling enticingly and making him stare at it for longer periods of time then he should be staring, his concentration was stolen. She just fucking  _ had _ to wear those, she couldn’t have chosen anything else to wear on a day like this. Vegeta suspected her motives as he had watched her walk up to the muster point this morning. He internally moaned, he needed to have his wits about him today, his first time leading an operation and with a new leg to boot. He tried to keep his distance from the scientist. But she needed to be with him when he scouted the warehouse. It was the reason she was there.

Three other teams patrolled the perimeter to protect them while they searched the warehouse for medical supplies. Bulma and Vegeta had been left alone to maneuver through the facility.   
They walked up an overgrown entrance into the facility.    
  
“Stop at the top of this path, I will clear the area before we move in” Vegeta said.

Bulma turned her head slightly, looking at him she nodded. She got to the top of the stairs and took a step to the side, allowing Vegeta past. He held his gun up to his face and scoped the area.   
  
“Clear” He said. 

Bulma moved in behind him, he tried to open the door. It was locked.

“Shit” He hissed.

“Move, let me…” She said moving him aside.

He went to protest as she brought down her artificial arm in a fist, knocking the door handle which subsequently took the lock clean off the thick metal door. Bulma turned, hand on hip and stuck out her tongue.    
  
“Tch, come on!” He said, pulling her backwards.

Vegeta led her into the building, clearing each room as they went. It was a part brick, part steel building. With a large roof and a maze of hallways and rooms. They reached a large connecting room, for what looked to have different labs attached to it.    
  
“Bingo” Bulma said.

The labs were from floor to ceiling glass, and all looked clear of zombies, or anything living for that matter.   
  
“Search these rooms, then we will move on, there was reports of a great supply in the building.” Vegeta said, looking around.

“Got it!” Bulma said, entering one of the labs.

Vials and bottles were being stuffed into her backpack. She was only stopping to quickly read labels, Vegeta patrolled the room, keeping an eye on Bulma and the hallway they came from. Anxiety and adrenaline was building in him, his body tensing as stress hormones were dumped into his brain.

Bulma exited from the labs, backpack full of supplies. She swung her hips as she walked over to him. The sway of her body spiked his already rising adrenaline. Her gunmetal coated mechanical arm reached out and softly touched his skin. Muscles reacted to the sensation and convulsed.

"You know, we are super alone right now" Bulma whispered.

Vegeta, still recovering from her touch looked over into her eyes. she conveyed a need and desire to him that only accelerated the chemistry going on in his body.

Along with his face flushing red, Bulma tried her best to hide her face as she laughed. Again with the teasing?

Deciding he had enough of her sexual teasing for personal entertainment, he was going to call her bluff. He grabbed her hips and swung her around, landing her back against a wall. He drove both his hands against the wall, either side of her face. rendering her escape from him futile. 

"So we are, maybe this time I'll take it a step further" Vegeta said.

Bulma's face went bright red at his suggestion. "You sexual predator!" She yelled.

Vegeta winced and covered her mouth. "Quiet! We haven't swept the whole building!   
  
"And you fucking started it, you were being lewd first!" He hissed.

Vegeta let go of her mouth and stood back.

"Yeah, well, it's cute when I do it!" 

"Knock it off, I need to concentrate and we have a mission to complete!" 

Bulma peeled her body from the wall and stepped backwards toward the exit. She smirked at Vegeta.

"You need to relax a little m….” She was unable to finish her sentence as she was suddenly pulled into the hallway behind her.

Bulma shrieked as she was dragged, familiar growling and snarling escaped from the dimly lit area.    
  
“BULMA!”

Vegeta took two large steps and he was at the doorway. He raised his weapon and looked through the scope. Bulma had managed to put her metal arm between herself and three of the creatures. They chomped and snarled at her, centimeters away from her skin.    
A creature to the left, an easy kill. He fired a shot, the bullet hit quicker than the sound hit his ears. Decaying brains exploded on the wall behind the creature. It’s body dropped lifeless.

Bulma’s screams hit his eardrums next, she was fighting a losing battle with the two others when more appeared from rooms behind. The fear began to boil up, she was in trouble, she could die, she could turn, it was happening all so fast.   
Time slowed, all he could hear was his breathing, in and out, diaphragm contracting and air being sucked in. His body moved without his conscious control, his gun moving from one dead, rotting head to the next.    
Old faded voices appeared in his mind's eye.   
  
_ “Please, no, not in front of the boy!”  _

The woman's panicked voice stung his heart and made his anger explode. Not here, not again. His fight response had been activated and he was right back where he dreaded, the worst place. His most vulnerable.   
  
_ “The boy should learn what happens when you disobey me!”  _ _   
_ _   
_ Visuals took over, like an old movie replaying on a TV. A large man, pounding his fists into her face. The sound of cracking bones, followed by the nauseating sound of flesh being ripped open by brute force. All he could do was watch while she was beaten so bad she passed out.

“VEGETA!”    
  
A pop sound brought him back, his lungs still inflating hard, sweat pouring from his forehead. His gun was still up, but everything had been silenced except for Bulma.    
  
“They're all dead, put your weapon down” Bulma said shaking.   
  
Vegeta closed his eyes and lowered his weapon. He had been acting while going into the black darkness of trauma. What had she seen, what did she think.    
The realisation that she had been moments away from being bitten, from turning, and from being shot by his weapon came crashing down on top of him.    
The fear of it. The pain of the thoughts. What he might have had to do to her, if she had turned infected his body. Raising the hairs on his neck. He would never go back to that vulnerability again, she would not take him back there. He needed to make sure he never went back.

The rage returned.

“You fucking idiot! You could have been killed? Why would you put yourself in such a dangerous position?!” He screamed at her.

Bulma took a physical step back from his outburst, shaking her head and tears welling in her eyes. The submissive position she took did nothing to curb the anger.

“I…”    
  
“How could you be so fucking stupid and selfish?!” He continued.

She was visibly hurt by his words, her mouth curved as her own resolve kicked in.

“You fucking asshole! I didn’t mean to get attacked! It was an accident!” Bulma said.

“What did you think was going to happen with such an oblivious attitude in such a dangerous situation?!” Vegeta snapped.

“I said it was an accident! What has gotten into you? What happened just now to you? You… you went somewhere…” She asked, stepping toward him, hand outstretched.

He batted away her hand and emotional pain was washed over her face in the form of a frown.   
  
“Mind your own fucking business!” He snapped.    
  
He watched her eyebrows clamp down further, her eyes lost their expression of confusion. She looked away from him, but not before disgust appeared on her face. She stormed out of the warehouse. 

* * *

  
Red dirt was picked up and spun out the back of the vehicles, creating plumes of dust through the gated entrance to the compound. Radio confirmation came back that the operation was a success, But had been cut short due to lingering zombies. A team would need to go back and take care of the infestation before more of the scientists could go through and bring back more supplies.    
Bardock suspected something had not gone to plan by the way Vegeta relayed the information. He had a tone in his voice, he was pissed.   
  
Doors slammed shut as the crew exited the convoy. Bardock watched the two humans with robotic limbs. Their usual playful demeanor had morphed into something else. Bulma had sunk her teeth into Vegeta from the very first moment, with that cocky, brazen confidence of hers. He had never seen them so distant.   
He wondered to himself what had happened, maybe she had finally told him? No, that wasn’t it. He looked enraged, that didn’t fit.    
Bulma grabbed a bag from the back of a ute and stomped her way towards the lab. Bardock, deciding to find out what exactly happened, followed her.

When he entered her lab she was already in the medical chair, injecting herself with a shot. She looked up as she pumped the liquid inside her muscle. Bardock walked over to her, leaning up against a bench opposite her.   
  
“What happened during the operation?” He asked.

“Why are you asking me? Shouldn’t you be getting a report from your precious  _ sergeant _ !” She said.

“I’m asking you, what happened?”    
  
Bulma exhaled hard. “Vegeta is a grumpy asshole, that’s what happened!”    
  
Bardock folded his arms, trying to encourage her with his eyes to continue.

“I don’t know why I like him! He is rude and unresponsive, uptight and cold!” She huffed.

Bardock raised an eyebrow at her. “Is he? That’s not what I’ve observed when you two are together...”    
  
Bulma looked away from his gaze in a failed attempt to hide her response.

“Well… He was today, right after…” She started.

“If you were bitten again, it would have been all over for you. Nothing would have saved you this time!”    
  
Bulma groaned and grabbed at her forehead. “Don’t you think I know that? He didn’t have to be so mean about it!”    
  
“Did you tell him?    
  
Bulma looked at Bardock, her eyes portraying the pain behind them well.    
  
“No…”    
  
“Bulma…”   
  
“He wouldn’t care anyway! He thinks I’m selfish and stupid!” she spat. 

“The opposite is more likely true, you know that” Bardock said, stepping toward her.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked down at her lap. Her body sank under his touch, only allowing herself a moment of pity, she sniffed and sat back up. Confidence filling her posture again.

“After the things I’ve seen, a whole life full of death and pain, it can be hard to react naturally to situations under extreme stress. After Gine died, I…I pushed away everyone, fearful of the hurt and pain I could feel from losing those I cared about. I never wanted to feel fear like that again” Bardock explained.

Bulma put her hand on his. She looked up at him with a smile, she blushed slightly and nodded, understanding what he was trying to explain to her.

“Thank you Bardock” She said.


	8. What the fuck was that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slight trigger warnings*

Chapter 8

Pressure from within gripped his ribs, squeezing until his heart hurt, until his lungs felt like stones. It came from his brain, but he felt it inside his torso. It happened the microsecond he saw her. Guilt.

Standing to the side of the busy mess hall, he looked into space, letting the emotions flow, there was nothing he could do now.  Bulma hadn't even given him a glance, not even a small motion to catch him in her peripherals. She was ignoring him, he deduced. And why shouldn't she? He had fucked up, overreacted and shown his open wound. His alertness, his hyperarousal, the gatekeeper to his instinct. One that had gotten its wires all fucked up long ago, making him unable to get away from the trauma of the past, unable to distinguish nightmare from reality. It held him there forever, scared and angry. 

They all go away in the end, why should she be any different? Getting close only caused more pain, hadn't his comrades proved that? Even brothers leave. Shame and guilt were all the company he had now. Broken, he was no use to anyone. He would only make her hurt.   
Coping mechanisms in an apocalypse were not much more than a joke, but one remained a shining light for him. Training. And boy, did he have something new and shiny to train. He couldn't eat breakfast anyway, he decided. His throat wouldn't allow anything to enter. 

So a punishing leg workout it was.

* * *

The force of the kick was one he had before the zombie bite, but the metal drilled in bone and attached to his nerves made all the difference. The artificial leg absorbed all of the impact of the blow and smashed apart the old wall like it was nothing. His metal leg was the greatest weapon he had ever used. The hydraulic knee component was the masterpiece of her design.

"Beats using a sledgehammer!" Goku laughed. 

Vegeta barely heard a syllable as he set up for another kick, this time a back kick. More of the wall exploded, sending debris flying.

"I wonder if there is asbestos…" Goku said.

"Here you are" 

Vegeta swung around, locking eyes with the older soldier.

"I could use your expertise with something" Bardock said, waving his hand.

"Oh man, now I have to do this shit job on my own?" Goku whined.

"Now you know how your mother felt birthing you!" Bardock smirked.

"Savage" Goku laughed.

The two men walked away as Goku grabbed the sledgehammer and took the rest of the wall out. Bardock walked along in silence, it seemed, until the moment presented itself as they heard the smashing of gyprock behind them.

“We need your skills on surveillance, we want to upgrade the compounds capabilities, stop potential terrorist attacks from the hostiles” Bardock said.

“Took you time, but I’m glad you finally listened” Vegeta muttered.   


"You know, you are an invaluable part of the team Vegeta"

Vegeta abruptly stopped, something washing over him visibly. The numbness of his demeanor dissolved and anger began to flood in its place. there was no stopping the trigger now. Smallest of words, sounds and induced feelings threw him over the edge, as if the guilt and shame made him weaker.    
  
_ “You’re invaluable mate” _ _  
_   
The tightness in his chest started again, bringing the darkness closer to the surface each time he felt the endless guilt. He clawed at his face and scalp, as if on fire. Bardock went to step toward him, hand stretching. Vegeta’s body pulled back from Bardock, snarling at him in response to his forward motion, to his invading presence into his space.   


Spiraling down to new depths he couldn't stop the memories. His earliest childhood memories crowded with fear and violence, the dark dangerous streets and gangs he survived from. The highlighted golden age of his service and the security it gave him, even amongst such gruesome death and destruction. And finally, the abandonment of those he loved, his brothers, unable to help him stand. Running to those they cherished more. He would not let such heartbreak ever reach him again. Never. Not even now, not in this place.

"Don't fucking touch me"

"Vegeta, it's ok, it's me, Bardock" The voice said, apparently recognising what the scene was before him.   
  
His world came back online, shifting slightly into the present reality. Vegeta felt shame for the way he felt, for the anger that came spitting out of his every word. Bardock didn’t deserve it, but he couldn’t stop it. The older man had no idea what was going on inside of him.

"It's not ok, fucking far from it. Can't you see I just want to be left alone?!" He began to yell.

"Its alright mate, this will pass…"

"Fuck you Bardock! Don’t patronise me” Vegeta yelled.   
  
“I can see something’s bothering you, we can help you if you want us to…”   
  
“Stop pretending you understand! This isn’t your concern!"

"Mate I do understand, in my own way... I understand the demons you carry, the torment you live with, the shit you’ve seen!" Bardock said.

"You don't understand me, we haven’t walked similar roads. You have no clue what I’ve seen. You don’t understand shit! You still have them! You still have something!"

Numbness began to cover him once again. Taking away the feelings, the remorse and pain. Bardock backed up and put his hands to his side. Unable to deny the younger man's retort. He understood he couldn’t reach a common ground right now. His family, for the most part, was still alive. Vegeta had lost everything, even a limb. His mind had made his decision for him, to keep him safe.

"Just leave me the fuck alone"

* * *

Flashing, extremely blurry memories of the recent days going past him made him anxious. But the dissociation blanket over him rendered him unable to live in the moment and feel anything, even the pain.  
He had gotten what he screamed for., to be left alone. Everyone avoided him, probably under Bardock's advice. How much longer could he reside here? 

As the sun began to set over the compound, the red and orange colours of a cool winter day coated everything his vision landed on. The frost of the night was already starting to cover the inanimate objects. It would fall below zero tonight he found his mind thinking, guard duty was going to be a punish.   
Vegeta headed for the lab building, dragging his feet as he went. If it wasn’t for his metal limb needing the latest update, he wouldn’t be anywhere near her. Bulma had not requested his presence herself, leaving it to a lab assistant to find the evasive man. Further cementing the fact that she wanted nothing to do with him.   


Vegeta’s hand fell onto the cold polished handle, pushing it down and pushing the door open to Bulma’s lab. Thickness of the air engulfed his skin and made his vigilant senses activate. He quickly stepped into the room, placing the walls behind him. He slightly crouched down and began to sweep the room. With all the concentration he could muster he listened on what was going on in the room, that was when he heard it. A small moan.   
  
“Bulma?” He asked quietly.   
  
Deafening silence followed his voice. His legs kept moving, making their way through the lab with restraint as he saw her feet from behind a bench. She moaned again.   
  
“BULMA!” He yelled, running toward her.

Her small, fragile looking body lay on the floor, curled on her side like she was in pain. The sight before him invoked memories from the past, fear and anxiety. An older woman laying on her side, facing away from him. He silently approached the woman's body, shaking heavily. Reaching out to touch her, he went to check her skin's warmth. But when he saw the slight rise and fall of her chest. He retreated, only a small boy, he was too frightened to touch her damaged body. The memory began to fade as Bulma’s moans interrupted them.

For a moment his body hung in suspension of his emotions, unable to act. Vegeta watched Bulma’s body move slightly, then his mind ran to a thought quickly. Move.   
He dropped to her side and tried everything his mind could recall, anything to get her to rouse. It was when he gripped her arm and kneaded his knuckles into her sternum, that she began to scream. Her eyes flashed open, focusing on something behind him, like she was watching something intently. Her voice rattled as she let out wails of terror. Just as he tried to calm her, he felt a hand on his shoulder.    
Vegeta swung his gaze around to meet Bardock’s. He motioned his head for Vegeta to move. Without a second thought the older man scooped up Bulma’s tiny body, bringing her to a nearby medical bed. Limbs were thrashing about, scratching and clawing at the soldiers. Her metal arm took a swing, but Bardock managed to dodge it.    
  
“Go into the cupboard, grab out a fresh needle and a vial that has the label A35” Bardock said calmly.    
  
He reacted without thought and his body moved to Bardock’s command. He reached in, grabbed the items and brought them Bardock.    
  
“Hold her down”    
  
He wrapped his arms around her forearms, pushing his weight down and into the bed. Bulma had her eyes closed now, tears streaming down her cheeks. Vegeta turned his sight away from her, unable to deal with the emotional turmoil on her face.    
He watched the needle enter her forearm muscles in an orderly fashion. Bardock had done this before. What the fuck was A35? And why did she need it?   
Immediately her body began to calm, her artificial limb being the first to stop the resistance against his push. Vegeta eased up the pressure.   
  
“She will be ok, you can let her go now. She will need to sleep the episode off” Bardock said.

“What the fuck was that?”    
  
Bulma’s body appeared to go limp as Bardock turned around. “Her body is not as resilient as yours is”    
  
“What do you mean by that Bardock? What is happening to her body?” 

“I have to go find her father and medical staff” Bardock simply said, turning from Vegeta as he began to walk out of the lab.   
  
Sensing the moment may pass and he would not get another chance, Vegeta grabbed Bardock’s arm, prompting him to stop and turn. Vegeta let go of him

“I’m… I’m sorry for the way I treated you”    
  
Bardock smiled warmly. “I accept your apology, look after her while I’m gone” He said.

Vegeta nodded as he left the room. He followed his vision around to Bulma. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, whatever had affected her moments before was no longer a threat.  
  


* * *

Shadows danced on the roof from the fires out on the walls. The soldiers outside patrolling the walls would have a nightmare of a shift without the strategically placed blazes warmth. Vegeta had been trying to sleep for hours, but slumber alluded him as his mind raced over the events of yesterday. He threw the blankets off himself, concluding he might as well train the thoughts out of his mind instead of laying and watching the roof illuminate.   
  
He left his room in adequately warm attire and headed for the compound’s gym. Before he reached the entrance he could see the lights on and hear music pumping from within. He sighed to himself, he had thought surely this late it would be empty. As he opened the door he locked eyes with the other person in the room. One blue and one white, glazed-over eye. A sharp pain hit his chest and he became anxious. What was she doing here?   
He watched her wrap her towel around her neck and wipe away her forehead sweat. Bulma grabbed the remote on the bench beside her and she switched off the music.   
  
“Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“You sound like Bardock” She said walking toward him.

Vegeta crossed his arms as she approached. “Tch”

“I’m done anyway, it’s all yours…”    
  
Vegeta reached out and grabbed her wrist as she tried to pass him. Bulma looked down at his hand, wrapped out her skin.   
  
“What was wrong with you this afternoon?” Vegeta asked, letting her go.

“It isn’t anything you need to be worried about”    
  
“Bulma…”   
  
Vegeta!” Bulma shouted.

“Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?” He asked.

“That’s rich coming from you” Bulma folded her arms across her chest.

He fell silent, uncomfortable with the shift in focus of the conversation. Not to mention the burning truth of her point.

“That’s what I thought” She huffed, rolling her eyes and passing him.    
  
Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut, feeling acid rise from his stomach at what was about to come out of his mouth.

“I was triggered the other week by… by you almost being hurt” He shouted, the words forcing their way out of him.

He heard Bulma stop behind him.

“I have PTSD”    
  
“From your time in service with the Defence Force?” She asked softly.

“That, and other trauma” He answered, turning around and meeting her gaze.   
  
The concern on her face made his skin crawl. He hated being pitied.

“Vegeta I’m so… “   
  
“Don't… Don’t do that, you asked, so I told you. There’s nothing I want you to say about it” He quickly said over her.

She smiled slightly and nodded. “Thanks for telling me”    
  
“Now you tell me what that was yesterday”    
  
She laughed. “Ok, ok, I’ll explain, come and get a hot milo with me?” She grinned.

Vegeta agreed to her proposal and they went to the mess hall, made themselves the hot, creamy chocolate and malt flavoured drinks and sat outside on the tables.    
  
“I had side effects from the bite, symptoms that give me… phantom pain. If I don’t take the special sedative shot it can make me have fits” Bulma explained as they watched the night sky. “But I… Well, yeah” She stammered.

It was clear to him she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself. He convinces himself that he understood her hesitancy and pushed her no further.

“I don’t experience anything like that” Vegeta said.

“It’s probably because of the gene you possess.”   
  
“Gene?”    
  
“The one that stopped you from turning, it's a mutation in your DNA, it protected you” She explained.

“How do you know about this gene?”    
  
“I’ve been studying it, trying to understand it and how it can help me make a vaccine”    
  
Vegeta grunted and looked away from her. “So you’ve been studying me without permission?”   
  
“Vegeta, I had to analyse your blood work to fit the prosthetic, and in case you needed a blood transfusion. I know all about everyone’s biological profile on this compound!” She laughed.   
  
“Tch.”    
  
“Besides, your gene has been a big help! A vaccine is within the realm of possibility within my lifetime!” She boasted.

“At my bodily autonomy’s expense?”   
  
“Some sacrifices need to be made, besides, you got that leg, so don’t complain!”    
  
Vegeta chuckled. She was right, the leg was a great addition to his body. Without the removal of his leg, he would have found it hard to fight and train again, without proper use of his limb.

“You know, Bardock told me about the other day” She said.

“What did he tell you?”   
  
“The argument you had with him, how you were…”   
  
“Triggered?” Vegeta interjected.

“Yeah, and it made me wonder about your experiences in the war. What you must have gone through?” Bulma sipped her hot milo.

“That part of my life was some of the best memories I have”    
  
“Really?”    
  
“Yes, I joined the Defence Force to escape my circumstances” Vegeta said.

“Your childhood?” Bulma asked.

“Yes, my mother died over an overdose just after I was born. I was raised around drug dealers and criminal syndicates. If I had not joined the Defence Force when I turned 18, I don’t know how my life would have turned out” Vegeta said.   
  
“That’s awful”

“So my service was the best time of my life, somewhere I truly felt I belonged”    
  
“Were you still serving when the virus hit?” Bulma asked.

“Yes, we were in Australia at the time”    
  
“Luckily you were stationed home”    
  
“Hn.    
  
“Did they all succumb to the virus?” Bulma pushed.

Vegeta sighed. “Some of them, others, left”    
  
“Left?”    
  
“They deserted, left to find their families” Vegeta explained.

“That’s understandable I guess”    
  
“Hn.”   
  
“Do you think the rest of the world is surviving the same as us?” Bulma asked, changing the sensitive topic.

“We shut our borders pretty quickly as it descended Europe into chaos. I think we probably fared better than most” Vegeta mused.

“I need to launch a satellite!” Bulma said pointing to the sky. “Find out what’s going on over the ditch!”    
  
“It would be pretty quiet out there”    
  
“Our sister companies in the Americas and Southeast Asia may still be operating”    
  
“What makes you think that?” Vegeta asked.

“They sent us warnings before the government shut the borders, they went into lockdown pretty quickly. I have faith they are still there”    


“Is that why it is so peaceful here? You had time to prepare?” Vegeta asked.

“It’s part of it, But we have always built this place to survive off the grid. My Dad’s kinda a doomsday nutter” Bulma laughed.

“Lucky for all of us he is a bit crazy”   
  
“He would tell you I’m the crazy one” Bulma smiled.

“Well, obviously…”    
  
Bulma smacked his arm with her metal fist.

“Fuck!” Vegeta winced.

“Without my crazy ass you would still be limping on that bung leg of yours!” Bulma spit.

Vegeta growled at her.

“My Dad thought I was crazy for chopping off my own arm” Bulma said. “But I think it was pretty courageous of me”    
  
“You really did chop it off yourself?” Vegeta asked.

“I sure did, I knew my Dad wouldn’t and there was no time to think”    
  
“What did it feel like?”    


“It was the worst thing I have ever been through, I still get flashbacks of it. I think it fucked me up” Bulma admitted.   
  
“Flashbacks? You mean you remember it still?”    
  
“Yes, I have a clear memory of it. The axe coming down through my flesh, ripping apart tendons and cracking my bone. I had to take three swings at it”    
  
“Gruesome, that’s fucked up”    
  
Bulma laughed and hit him again.

“Guess we are both fucked up” She giggled.

Vegeta watched her smile and finish off her drink. Admiration flooded his bloodstream and made his heart pump faster. She was a badass, he couldn’t deny that. Intelligence and the tenacity to take control of her own destiny. Fuck, she cut off her own arm. He tried to push down the affection for her growing inside him. Being close to her physically just made his growing fondness stronger, and that was a problem. His inner thoughts did nothing to stop his yearning for her however.    
Vegeta reached out and grabbed her face. Kissing her hard. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters left. Thank you to everyone who has commented, sent kudos and given support. 
> 
> And before you ask, yes, there will be smut. They will be fucking next chapter 😂😏😏🍆💦


	9. Fuck!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Slight trigger warning*

Chapter 9

  
“Guess we are both fucked up” She giggled.

His curious gaze built up butterflies inside her. Flashes of affection scattered across his features as the butterflies erupted and caused her body to shudder. Vegeta reached out and grabbed her face, kissing her hard. Thrilled at his touch, her body reacted immediately and she grabbed onto him, pulling him closer into her. His hands ran through her hair as they searched each other's tongues.  
Bulma pulled away from him slightly.   
  
“Is this your way of saying sorry?” Bulma whispered, scared she would spook him away.

“For it to be a proper apology, I need to make it up to you a lot more than this”   
  
“I agree” Bulma said, kissing him again. “And I want you to show me everything”   
  
“Show you everything?” He asked.   
  
“Take off that mask of yours, and i’ll take off mine”   
  
Vegeta stood up and grabbed her arm. Bulma allowed him to pull her as she stood up beside him. Her heart beat thumped inside her body. She heard its rhythm inside her ears.   
Vegeta bent down. He scooped her hips and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him hard. She had been waiting for this moment for weeks. Anticipation was flooding her system and all she could think about being underneath him, completely bare. Anxiety and anticipation cascaded through her.   
He carried her off down toward her room, which was on the opposite side of the compound to his. Her unit stood separate to the others, and was larger. She hardly paid attention to where he was taking her as she kissed his neck and clawed at his skin.   
Vegeta put her down a few metres from her door. Her brain soon worked out where they were as she felt his hand down her back.   
  
“If that is really what you want?” He asked softly.   
  
She looked back at him and blushed. “Do you want to come in?”   
  
“Yes”   
  
Bulma turned around hearing his answer and walked up to her door, unlocking it. She looked back at him waiting for him to follow her in, he obliged her silent request.   
They both entered the decent sized living quarters. A small lamp flickered on as Bulma threw down her keys on the table near the door. Vegeta walked in behind her as she pushed herself up on top on the bench. He walked right up between her legs and began kissing her again. She pulled at his shirt, begging him to get rid of the fabric between them. Their kiss broke as he pulled his shirt up over his head. Her hands found their way to his chest and she ran her skin down his. 

"I thought you said if I took off mine, you would take off yours" Vegets smirked.

"That's not what I meant" 

Vegeta kissed her again, putting his hands through her soft hair. 

"What did you mean?" He asked through their kiss.

"I want to see you, like no one else gets to"

Vegeta stopped kissing her and looked her in the eyes. "You already do"

"I want more"

He grabbed her top and pulled it up over her head, then her sports bra. She covered her breasts with her forearms and blushed. He kissed her and gently pulled her arms away. 

"If you want me to be vulnerable, you have to be too" He said.

She looked away from his gaze. Now that she was in the moment, she was finding it hard to open herself completely to him. Would he run away again when he saw everything, when he knew the truth.   
Bulma slowly put her arms down and in the dim light his shocked reaction stood out like a floodlight. Bulma felt as if all the wind was pushed out of her lungs. For a moment she just wanted to curl up and for the ground to swallow her up. He looked away from her chest, but began kissing her again. Wordlessly telling her he didn't mind. Still a little confused, but elated by his action, she engaged harder and faster with his kiss. Fingers pulled at her gym tights. Bulma raised her ass and he quickly pulled the pants down and off her legs.   
  


* * *

Her chest was covered in them, his eyes focused and he couldn't help staring. Bulma's body shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.  
This is what she meant by taking off her mask. Now he understood a lot of what had happened silently. Her reluctance wasn't from lack of experience or not having any desire to be with him. It was insecurities about her scars. He paid no more attention to her chest and kissed her, she eagerly pushed back. Her body language telling him she was thrilled he didn't care about her scars.

As he was undressing her a thought came into his mind about the injection Bardock had given her. A35. She had told it was for phantom pain, it was a sedative shot. But now in light of the scar on her chest, he didn’t quite believe that anymore.   
No, it couldn't be. She had lied about what it was, it wasn't a sedative. It was a trial vaccine. She was trying to stop the spread, after all this time. 

"Bulma?" He pulled away from their kiss.

She sat naked on the bench-top, searching his eyes. She found meaning behind his question. 

"I'm fine" She lied to him.

A lump formed in his throat. What the fuck was going on.

"The scar, on your ch…"

"Honestly it's fine, I was just worried you would find it ugly" She lied again.

Didn't she say she wanted them both to remove their masks. Was this too painful for her to completely admit. His heart sunk, and in the moment, he finally understood. And just as he was beginning to love her, he finally disclosed to himself. 

He reached out to her cheek. "You could never be ugly" He said.

She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her, kissing him again. He let his hand fall down to her waist and he ran his fingers along her ribs and up to her breast. 

The scarred skin was cold, dead cold. A small inaudible sigh escaped his lips, but she didn't seem to notice. He was torn between wanting her to admit the truth to him, and giving her the privacy she still obviously required. Had she not accepted it yet? He decided to let it go, to give in to something they both wanted, while they still could.

He wanted to be inside her before anymore of his emotions could process what he had learnt. His fingers traced down her body and found her soaked slit. She moaned candidly against his lips, urging him on more to touch her. Her hips rocked against him, but he continued to trace softly around her folds and bud. He felt the cold sensation of her artificial hand on his skin, she wrapped her metal fingers around his hand and forcibly pushed his two fingers inside her.   
  
“You’re so wet already” Vegeta moaned against her lips.

Bulma pushed her head back and moaned along with the rocking of her hips. “The thought of you inside me drives me fucking wild” She said.  
  
Vegeta brought his other hand down and continued to stroke her clit as he kneaded his fingers inside her. Bulma let go of his body and lent back on her arms, which gave her more leverage to grind her hips harder. The sight of her in front of him made his cock throb inside his shorts, begging to be released.   
  
“Fuck me” Bulma said, looking up at him.

“Yeah? You want me to?” Vegeta asked, smirking. 

“Yes, for fuck sake, Vegeta, stop teasing and put that hard cock inside me”   
  
He growled and pulled her up against him, lifting her by the ass again she wrapped her legs around him. Vegeta took her over to the dining room table and smashed everything off the surface. He laid her down on her back and slipped his hands under her thighs, pulling her tight against him. He quickly got rid of his shorts and liberated his pulsating cock.   
He pressed his knob against her wet slit, covering himself in her wetness. He plunged himself into her, grabbing her hips and pulling her into him. They both moaned as his shaft thrust in and out of her.   
  
“Fuck you feel so good” Vegeta growled, grabbing at her hips hard.   
  
Bulma reached down and kept rubbing her swollen clit and grinding her hips with his rhythm. Vegeta watched her tits jiggle and her body continue writhing while he fucked her harder and harder. 

“Does it feel good?” He asked.

“So good, I can’t believe how hard you are”   
  
Vegeta groaned and lengthened his thrust, pulling out and slamming back into her harder. He felt himself getting close, he had to slow himself down and concentrate on keeping his body calm.   
  
“Are you close?” Bulma asked, noticing his slowed tempo.   
  
“I can’t help it, you just feel too good” He admitted.

“I want you to come”   
  
“And I want you to come” He said.

“I will later, I want you to fuck me again anyway. So come now, I want to watch you like this” Bulma said, her face was flushed.

“Fuck” Vegeta groaned.

There was no hope in him holding his orgasm any longer, he felt the tension build up inside him as he pushed himself over the edge, he quickly pulled out and his cock exploded on the outside of her pussy. He moaned loudly as his orgasm subsided.   
He lent down on the side of the table as his legs went to jelly. He looked down into Bulma’s eyes as she was still flushed with desire.   
  
“Your turn” He said once he had recovered 

Grabbing her arms and throwing her over his shoulder, Bulma squealed as he slapped her ass. He carried her into the bathroom and set her down next to the shower. Bulma reached in and turned the water on, steam soon filled the air as they both stepped inside.   
Bulma lathered up Vegeta and herself with soap, as he pulled the shower head off the holder. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into his chest. She eagerly lifted her leg up as he reached around her and pressed the warm, pressurized water against her throbbing clit. Vegeta used his free hand to run across the rest of her body. Bulma laid her head back into his chest and he lent down and kissed her neck and up against her ear. Her body shuddered as he kissed her.   
  
“Does this feel good?”   
  
“Yes, don’t stop”   
  
He continued to slide his fingers up and down her body, grabbing her tits and playing with her nipples as she ground her hips against him. Bulma grabbed his hand again and brought it down to her slit. He slid his fingers inside her, searching for her g-spot.   
  
“Just there, don’t stop” She moaned. 

Vegeta softly bit at her neck and continued kissing her skin as he felt her pussy tighten around his fingers and quivered into an orgasm. Bulma let out loud moans. The feeling of her constricting around him made his cock throb again, he felt himself grow hard against her back as his body screamed at him to penetrate her wet opening again. He growled into her soft skin as she came hard.   
  
“Oh my god” She breathed hard.   
  
Vegeta reached up and softly pushed her head to the side and kissed her. Slipping his tongue inside her he rocked his stiff shaft between her ass cheeks.   
  
“Hard again?” Bulma smiled against his lips.

“Yes, you are so fucking sexy”   
  
Bulma giggled and turned off the shower taps. She turned around and wrapped her hand around his cock, pumping down hard a few times.

“Then come and fuck me again” She said, stepping out of the shower.

* * *

Light began to illuminate the room as the sun rose over the horizon. Vegeta’s eyes shot open and he cried out. It took a few moments to realise where he was. Bulma was laying across his chest, still in a deep sleep.   
Vegeta breathed in long and hard, trying to calm down his body. He had another nightmare. Vivid nightmares had become a regular occurrence lately for him. Guilt and shameful feelings because he was still alive when his comrades were dead, they stung freshly in his heart as he tried to steady himself. It was in vain. Visions of the only people who ever loved him, his Grandmother, his brothers in the SAS, all dying in front of him, over and over. It haunted him. Even now he was awake, he could still smell the battlefield and hear the pleading and the moaning of the dying soldiers, of a pleading woman, begging for mercy. His hands felt covered in hot, sticky blood. He tried to rub his face, to bring himself back to reality. But all he managed to accomplish was to make it feel as if he was spreading the blood and guts around his face.   
  
Feeling helpless further triggered him, bringing back childhood nightmares along with the horrifying scenes of war and his comrades turning into the undead. He looked down at Bulma and her face had already changed. He jumped and tried to wriggle out from under her.   
Her skin was rotten and falling from her bones, hollow black holes where her eyes used to be. His heart rate bounced high again, his skin was crawling as he watched her body decay on the bed. She was going to die, rot and turn, and he couldn’t do a single fucking thing about it.   
  
The painful feelings of despair only further prolonged his hallucinations. Everyone he knew, died in the end. What was the fucking point of being alive anymore? He only ever let everyone down, he only ever made them fucking hurt. He projected those feelings onto others through his pain and his incapability to relate and grow close to them.   
He had grown close to her, and what for? For her to turn like the rest. He knew the vision was only a hallucination of his mental health illness. He understood this was his instinctual brain trying to protect him in vain.   
He knew this, but…   
She was going to die. She was prolonging her life with the incomplete vaccine. Her futile efforts were encouraged by all of those around her. For what purpose? So she could cure the disease? Just to fucking die anyway!   
  
Tears overflowed and made their way down his skin, dripping off onto his contort hands. He was unable to deal with this anymore. He couldn’t save her, she was dead. And he was a useless piece of shit, and all he would manage to do was to make her last days full of suffering and confusion with his failure to deal with her truth. He would hurt her further.   
He headed for the door, picked up his clothes, dressed himself and left.   
  


* * *

  
Cold nothingness of the room made her body stir. She slowly opened her eyes as the sun shone through the cracks in the blinds. She smiled softly and stretched out. She felt nothing.   
  
“Vegeta?” Bulma asked, sitting up suddenly.

Her heart thumped. Looking around the room, nothing stirred.   
  
“Vegeta?!”   
  
More desperate this time she flung the covers off herself. She stomped around to each room, searching.   
  
“No”   
  
Bulma quickly put on pants and a jumper before racing out of her unit. The door made a loud, resolute slam behind her as she began to panic. He couldn’t have left, she thought he was ok with her showing him her true self. She thought he understood her meaning, her reason for showing him. Did he really mean to leave her, after everything?   
She reached his room and pushed open the unlocked door.   
  
“No!”   
  
Her eyes darted around searching for something, anything to tell her he was still there. His duffel bags were missing from his tidy, organised room. His weapons and all of his essential gear, gone.   
Bulma fell to her knees and began to weep and cry out with a deep physical ache. The pain he was inflicting on her, in his inability to deal with her secret, crushed her heart and soul. Her own weight felt too heavy to bear. She collapsed fully onto the ground.   
  
The sensation of the virus spreading ever closer to her heart was made achingly clear now. The black veins over the years had traveled from under her armpit and into her breasts, enlarging and returning to her sternum, closing in on her heart. Once they reached her heart, the black sludge would stop it once and for all. Her body would soon after be drained of its own oxygen. Killing her. Turning her in a monster.   
  
Vegeta not only took her trust and love with him, he took his DNA, which could have been key to finding out the secret to the virus. Whether she lived or not, it didn’t matter to her. Even in the face of a horrible, excruciating death, she always had the hope she would find the vaccine. He had taken that from her now. With so little time left, what could she accomplish? All her suffering would all be for nothing.   
  
“Now what do I do?” Her voice broke as she whimpered.


	10. I will not turn into one of those fucking things, do you hear me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Trigger warning for abuse, assault and violence*

Chapter 10   
  


_ 5 months later _

Eyes blinked slowly, and lungs inflated firmly, taking in the cool morning air. Every day morphed into the next without purpose or meaning. His self implosion was as slow as the seasons were changing. From winter's end to spring, back to summer again. The days began to grow hot and dry. He had come full circle, with only an artificial arm to show that any fucking time had passed at all.    
  
He closed his eyes and dropped his face between his legs. Dissociation flooded his mind regularly, one so deep he felt nothing, so detached from himself he was as dead as the creatures. Between bursts of insanity and pain his body tried to shut his mind off but cutting off the emotions.    
When the creatures came, the rage soon followed. He was punishing them and himself for the fact that he was a piece of shit. A piece of shit who couldn’t save anyone. Not even himself. Guilt and shame swelled inside again. Dragging him back into the hole he had inside himself, completely void of any compassion. 

He wanted to scream, release the madness inside, but his brain refused to help his mind heal, keeping him sedated with chemicals and taking him back up with stress hormones. The vicious cycle continued until he finally succumbed to sleep. There the nightmares waited for him, ever increasing in horror and velocity. He struggled all night only to wake in the morning, groggy and alone.    
  
Lifting his head like it was ten times heavier than it had ever been, his eyes focused on something in the distance. From the slight incline he had chosen to sit on, he could see the whole escarpment, stretching thousands of kilometres.    
Dirty was being kicked up.   
  
Creatures? He asked himself. No, it followed a road, something small but fast, it was a vehicle.    
The primal part of his brain activated and dumped adrenaline into his system. Re-energising him once more.   


* * *

  
He switched the engine off and let the Ute roll to a stop well before the dwelling. He silently got out of the vehicle and raised his weapon to eye level. He made his way to the side of the building, clearing the area as he went. No one was left in the vehicle parked beside the dwelling. One maybe two hostiles. He could tell by the car they drove.    
Another burst of energy from the control command of his brain, the hypothalamus, opened his airways and raised his heart rate. A state he was familiar with, even comforted by. He was alive once more.

Vegeta swarmed the building, quickly locating the two men, he shot them both in the skull, almost perfect centre. Their lifeless bodies fell to the floor. He cleared the remainder of the rooms.   
Walking back to the front room he noticed the table, covered in papers. Strange. Paper was no longer a common sight to see. He picked up a sheet and his eyes widened.    
  
“Fuck!” He gasped looking through the sheets.

They planned to blow up the compound.    
  
Rapidly his hands moved without much thought, gathering the scattered papers in their grasp. Grabbing at his forehead, his breathing intensified. How could he have been so fucking stupid? The sting of anguish he felt when his comrades deserted him was brought to the surface. He had never understood why they left, right at the crucial moment when their squad was attacked by a horde of zombies. He couldn’t understand the cowardice.    
Now he did.   
  
An image of Bulma burst into his mind's eye. An imagined look of hurt and betrayal. She had shown herself to him and he had run. Like a coward. He had seen this face before. He searched the old files inside his mind that contained those memories, the ones he had buried long ago. Opening them again would bring about his suffering, but he couldn’t stop it now. It had begun. They started to flick into his head like a movie replaying inside his mind.   
  
_ The small house was clean but still rundown. Walls were yellowed with age, paint chipping off and the walls bent in by fists and objects. Vegeta shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. There was never any warmth in the winter, even his clothes were lacking in quality and thickness. He looked around wondering if he could light a fire to keep himself from freezing to death.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “You fucking bitch!” a sharp aggressive voice came suddenly. _

_ Vegeta shot up, suddenly the cold air no longer kept him from moving. His eyes darted trying to work out which way he was coming. His Grandmother had risen from the old lounge now. Her eyes wild with terror, she tried to move to the corner of the room.  _ _   
_ _ He felt the demon before it entered the room. Roaming past him like he wasn’t even there. The demons focus was only on one thing. A huge claw came up, swinging down on her head. She shielded herself with her arms, but he just broke through them like they were twigs.  _ _   
_ _ Vegeta shut his eyes, and brought up his small hands. Just hearing the thudding and groans of his grandmother told him everything he needed to know. After her bones had been smashed, he heard the solid echo of her skull being smashed in by a blunt object.  _ _   
_ _ He spread his fingers, taking one last look. His grandmother's smashed arm was reaching out for him, her face still stained in horror. She was trying to plead for his help, but she could no longer speak. That part of her brain had been caved in. He screamed as he got up to run. His father’s arm came down for the last time and betrayal flooded his grandmother's face.  _ _   
_ _ She had looked after him since he was an infant. And he was leaving her to his father, her son, to beat her to death. _   
  
Her face was stuck in time, inside his mind. Betrayal.   
Vegeta reached up and rubbed his face, trying to bring himself out of his waking nightmare. As the memory faded the feelings came. Guilt and shame.   
  
“No” He begged.

Why did it always come back to this? His inability to move forward? He didn’t want to do this again. He was only a child, he couldn’t have helped even if his body had let him. His father would have murdered him too. She had been begging him to run, not begging him to help. He finally understood the memory now, his perception had finally been flipped.   
His mind protected him in that moment of true danger, and now every time he felt even remotely the same. His body kicked back into gear and made him run. But he had a choice, he didn’t then, but he did now. Resolve was beginning to push through. He had a job to do.   
  
“What have I done?”    
  
Vegeta smashed his fist into the wooden desk, cracking it. Bardock's voice suddenly appeared in his head.   
  
_ “A man with no purpose, it’s not what I would describe you as” Bardock said. _

_ “Not always, though the purpose left pretty quickly when the fucking creatures started eating everyone” Vegeta said. _

_ “You came here, didn’t ya?” Bardock asked. _

_ “Yeah…” _

_ “Looking for some purpose” Bardock said. _

Vegeta groaned and his hands shook as he came to the realisation that he had cocked up massively.    
  
“I have to go and warn them, fuck! What if I’m too late?” He cursed himself. “FUCK!”   
  
It wasn’t just Bulma, the whole compound relied on him. He had just been so fearful of losing her that he had been blinded by his own panic. He wanted to be there for her last moments, even if they were brutal.

* * *

All he could think about was the first time he had seen the wall. It had been a blow to his perception, all he had ever found in this eternal shit-storm of an apocalypse were feeble, inadequate dwellings that would be overrun by a small group of the creatures in a matter of moments. But the wall. The wall was awe inspiring, it was the start of his true recovery, a place to feel safe.   
Seeing it destroyed, even if it was just a section that had been blown into, was soul destroying. He felt all the peace run through him and out his feet, into the red dirt below. Creatures were still flowing into the compound in dregs. The scene before him ignited something inside him he had thought he had lost a long time ago. The adrenaline started pumping into his veins. But this time, he was in complete control. This was no trigger. This was his true flight or fight response, how nature had intended it to be. He would use it to protect those he had come to love. Just like he had before.   
  
His pupils dilated and his heart sped up, blood drained from his skin and was redirected to his brain, limbs and muscles. Breathing intensified, allowing massive amounts of oxygen to enter his system. He was subconsciously and temporarily pooling his body's resources to allow him to move, think and react at an increased rate.    
His artificial leg moved first, bringing him into a sprint. He held his gun high, targeting the creatures one by one. He had not been so close to one in many months. Their decaying flesh hit his body and stuck to him as he exploded their brain matter into the air around them.    
  
As he made his way to where the wall used to stand he spotted two shaking, wide eyed men. It was hard to recognise them through the rage and fear that deformed their faces. If it wasn’t for their hair styles, they could have been anyone.    
Their weapons aimed for Vegeta and for a second he thought they would shoot. He held his hands up vulnerably. 

“Fucking hell it’s Vegeta!” Goku screamed.    
  
Metal smashed the ground as he jogged over to them. Three more men came to their sides and covered the wall opening.    
  
“How, where? When?!” Goku started, unsure what to ask first.

“I came across a small hostile outlook, found the plans for a bomb and the surveyed area of the wall. I came as soon as I found out” Vegeta explained.

The brothers looked at each other, a flash of mourning crossed over both of them. Both unbothered in the moment to ask why he left in the first place. Something else demanded their attention.   
  
“What is it?” Vegeta asked, swallowing the growing lump in his throat.   
  
Raditz left out a hard sigh. “Come on”    
  
The troop of three followed a well worn path into the compound. The radio was going off with cleared zones and men organising to fix the gaping hole in their border. Vegeta couldn’t stop the flooding of guilt. It threatened his mental state, but one thing was different this time, he had a purpose and he would see it through until his last fucking breath.    
They reached the makeshift first aid tent, men flooded out of it with various injuries, most seemed to be from the initial blast. Suddenly the painful sound of a discharged gunshot went off, as brains splattered on the sage coloured grass, turning it hot red.    
Vegeta’s soul felt as if it dropped to his feet. He knew what was coming and who had been bitten.    
Raditz thrust the curtain aside, revealing Bardock on a stretcher with a gruesome torso bite. He made the deduction that more than one of the creatures had gotten him by the size of the gash. Vegeta felt his face sting with pain, his eyes welling up.    
  
“No chopping this off…” Bardock smirked.

Vegeta shook his head, unable to look at his mentor. The pain was unbearable.

“Look at me for fuck sake”    
  
Vegeta squeezed his eyes and returned them to Bardocks. They had already begun to glaze over. He had seen this before, he had been here too many times.   
  
“Tell me you’ll stay, I need to know before the bullet enters my brain. They need you, she needs you, because this war is not over”    
  
That resolve he had been carrying around all day faltered for one moment. Before their faces ran past his line of sight. All those he couldn’t save, all those that left. He had to keep going forward for them, in spite of them, in memory of them. For Bardock. For Bulma.

“I will, Bardock, they are in good hands” Vegeta pronounced. 

Bardock warmly smiled at his friend. His eyes falling over to Raditz. “Do it, I can feel it taking me”    
  
“Dad…” Goku whimpered.

“There is no time for this shit. I will not turn into one of those fucking things, do you hear me? End it now” Bardock demanded of his son.

Raditz raised his weapon and Bardock finally allowed his face to relax. He knew what was coming and was at peace with it. No terror, not hurt, just peace. It was something Vegeta had never witnessed, in all the gore and horror he had faced. He had never seen anyone as ready to meet their end as Bardock did. It made him realise what he had missed before, death wasn’t scary, dying before you found your purpose. Dying before you knew your family were in safe hands, that’s what created those horribly contorted faces he had always experienced. Here was a man, truly ready to pass, his mission complete.

Raditz unloaded his weapon into his father's skull, painting the vicinity with the organ that once housed Bardock.

Vegeta brought up his hands to his head and let out a cry of anguish. Raditz stood motionless, unable to even take a breath. His weapon still raised.    
  
“Dad…” Goku wept.   
  
“The vials are coming over Dad, how did our amputee patient go?” Bulma’s voice came over the radio attached to Raditz.    
  
His weapon finally came down and the taller man turned to Vegeta.    
  
“Go to her Vegeta, salvage one fucking thing in this clusterfuck”    
  


* * *

  
Feelings of discomfort made him abashed and ready to withdraw again. The difference this time was his resolve was present and ready to strike if any guilt or shame should arise. He was ready to face her. He was finally stronger than the demons inside him. A need to fulfill his purpose overwhelmed him, running from it only prolonged the pain.    
With his courage back, filling his senses, he put his hand on the lab's door handle. A boundary he had crossed many times before over the past year, but never had he felt like this walking through to her space.  
Immediately her gaze found his, like a subconscious sense. One they, and no one else shared. Her eyes gradually moved from confusion and contorted to rage. Two loud steps and she was on him, her lab coat snapping behind her like a flame.    
The cold, solid metal of her hand grabbed his shirt in its clutches, pulling his face to hers. Her fury not only had heat radiating off it, he could smell the rage.

“You! How could you show your face here again!”    
  
“I…”   
  
“You show up as our friends, FAMILY turn into those creatures! How dare you!” Bulma screamed.

“I came as soon as I knew” Vegeta said.

“That’s not the point, you shouldn’t have left in the first place, you fucking left!”   
  
Tears fell freely now down her face. Her zombie eye unable to produce tears anymore. A knife hit his heart as the image of her relayed information to his brain. Her face, the black veins had advanced at an accelerated pace. it had gotten worse. Much worse.   
  
“I’m sorry”    
  
“You’re sorry?! Well that just fixes everything!” She said, finally letting go of his clothing.    
  
She pushed him backwards and turned away from him.   
  
“I’ve never been here before” Vegeta said, looking away from her back. “This has just never happened before, I’ve never let anyone in like this. And for Bardock to be… For you to be dy…”   
  
He stopped, visions flashed in his mind. His mind tried to take him down those same pathways he always travelled. He shut his eyes and whimpered.

“Say it” Bulma demanded.

“I… I can’t”    
  
“SAY IT!” She screamed.

Fingers dug into his forehead and dragged down his face, as if he was forcing the words from his brain to his mouth.  
  
“And for you to be dying, it was my trauma all over again”   
  
Bulma was silent, still facing away from him.  
  
“I couldn’t get them out of my head, their faces, their empty, lifeless bodies. I couldn’t stand to face that again. I have nothing left in that tank to deal with more meaningless death. Do you understand?” Vegeta said.

She sighed, long and hard. “I do understand, it’s why i couldn’t tell you for so long”    
  
Vegeta looked up at her back. Her head was slightly turned to face him now. Her eyes still shielded by her hair.   
  
“I knew, you were on your own for two years, war zones before that, and who knows what in your childhood! I knew you had demons you were facing and I didn’t want to add to them.” Bulma said.   
  
His inability to articulate himself left him silent.

“When you left, you took your DNA with you, I was using it to create antibodies, to help with my spread and to find a cure” Bulma explained. “Your absence cut us all off at the knees, I wasn’t sure I would be able to continue on. The men, all of us. I had to crack the puzzle before I died”   
  
His eyes enlarged. He had not only left, he had taken her medicine with her. One of the things keeping her alive.   
  
“You didn’t add to my demons, It was my inability to let you in, to let you close. Everyone who gets close ends up dead or worse. And now my leaving has directly killed you quicker” 

“It’s not because of you”   
  
“Then why has it sped up? It never moved this quickly before? If not me, if the lack of my DNA, then what?” Vegeta spat, referring to her scarred eye.    
  
Bulma slowly turned around, this time with her lab coat open. Her swollen belly appeared as her body rotated. Vegeta felt time slow down, his brain was trying to process the information it was being fed through his vision.

“You’re pregnant…”    
  
“Yeap, I’ve been using the last of your antibodies to inject them into the sack. So far he has been safe from the virus, I’m not sure if it is from your inherited genes or the antibodies. I didn’t want to take the chance by stopping the shots” Bulma said, gliding her hand down her bloated torso.    
  
Vegeta's hand found its way up to his mouth as he tried to accept the new reality.   
  
“The pregnancy has accelerated the virus”    
  
Bulma nodded, trying to smile through tears. “But don’t you see? It’s because of you that my work will go on. A cure will be found. You haven’t condemned me, you saved my purpose!”    
  
Vegeta’s sodden eyes left her stomach and greeted her gaze. Vegeta timidly stepped forward, trying not to spook her. He wanted to feel his son. She had called him that… A he.   
  
“He will be fine, he will have immunity because of you. Teach him to be a man Vegeta, teach him to protect this compound. My Dad will take care of the scientific stuff” Her smile only increased.   
  
His hardened, scarred hand fell onto her belly. Her warmth sent pleasure through him. Her tight bump felt like something out of a dream. He willingingly let his tears fall now, not even attempting to rein them in.

“How long do you have?” Vegeta asked, his shirt soaked from the constant stream falling.   
  
“Maybe a month after his birth, the advancement of the virus is unpredictable. So I can’t be entirely sure. You have to raise him Vegeta, you have to take care of him. Promise me”    
  
“I will”    
  
She smiled sweetly at him, putting her hand over his and rubbing her belly again.   
  
“There's something else”    
  
“Yes?”    
  
“I want you to kill me when the time comes”    
  
The words hit him and he fell to his knees, unable to look at her any longer he chose the ground instead. Bulma groaned as she bent down with him.    
  
“Please” She begged.

“You want me to kill you? With my own hands?” He asked.

“You won’t be killing me, you will be showing me mercy! The greatest act you can. I can’t turn into one of them, Vegeta. You have to!” She wailed.    
  
Vegeta looked up at her as she sobbed. He grabbed her and pulled her into him. He couldn’t watch the pain distort her face any longer. She shook and cried in his arms. That resolve he kept inside, burnt bright.

“Ok, I will do it” 


	11. I love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point I feel like I don't have to warn you. But major character death impending.
> 
> Major inspiration for the fic, even from the beginning, is Johnny Cash's song 'Hurt'. Give it a listen as you read for an extra self loathing cry.

Chapter 11

One foot after the other hauled his aching body toward the building. His back was always covered by the stone built walls. The stench hit him before the object came within his range of vision, it was the lifeless body of his fallen comrade. Human organs strewn across the dirt and rocks. As he stood for a moment, letting his brain process the information coming into his mind by his senses. Eventually his hand steadily descended down to the Australian soldier. Snarls began before the body moved. Not enough time to react, his body tried to retreat. But it was too late. The man's teeth had sunk into his thigh, biting him through a large rip in his pants. Almost like the beast was attracted to the bare flesh.  
He hissed in pain as he moved his weapon to the top of his skull. Exploding more organs around the area. His fingers pushed aside the torn material of his pants to reveal the bite. His eyes widened in fear as the image burnt into his retina.  
  
Black sludge began to swirl and contort inside his now visible vein.  
  
“No!” He screamed.

It slipped across his cheek, compassionate and restorative. Causing his eyes to fling open to the comforting sight of her soothing face. His heart, still pumping in his chest began to settle and subside.  
  
“It’s ok, it was just a dream. You’re safe here with me” She whispered, not wanting to make any loud jarring sounds as his mind drifted back to the present.  
  
He let out a drawn out exhale. Raising his hand to his face. Covering his eyes. Even amongst the darkness his hands crafted, he could tell morning was yet to break.  
  
“The same one?” He heard her whisper.  
  
“Yeah, I’m not able to stop the spread”  
  
“Your body did stop it, and the bite lead you to us”  
  
He removed his hand, looking directly into her eyes, they were a constant reminder of what was to come. He slid his hand through her delicate glossy hair.  
  
“It did”  
  
Her warm thigh pressed against him, skimming as it went over his body. The pressure of her weight shifted and slid on top of him. Her bare, naked skin against hers was exhilarating. Lighting his heart back on fire and making him immediately hard.  
His hands traced down the side of her body, resting at the top of her hips. Pulling her forward. Desire in the form of a moan escaped her lips, she had felt how thick he already was. Her gentle rocking across his growing bulge only escalated the blood rushing to his cock. 

“Are you sure?” Vegeta asked.

Her eyelids swooped into a yearning and her mouth rounded into a tiny smile. “I’ve been practicing. Besides, I’m all healed now, it’s been months”  
  
“Practicing? With what?” His growl vibrating electrical currents through his throat while thoughts of her pleasing herself breached his consciousness.  
She just slyly grinned at him. Drawing her hand around her body, she slipped her fingers inside his boxers, wrapping themselves around his growing shaft.

“I want this inside me”  
  
His teeth clamped down on his bottom lip, sliding down and flicking it free again. His eyes eagerly drank the vision of her on top of him. He squeezed her hips hard. “Come sit on my face first, let me taste you and get you ready for me”  
  
“Awww poor thing, have you been missing the puss?”

Suggestively her eyebrows wiggled at him. A coy look washed over his features. He pulled her off his lap. “Do as your told”  
  
She giggled and moved her knees as he shimmied between them. Gripping her thighs, sliding them around his neck like a well worn sweater, he pulled her hips onto his face. Her hair cascaded freely down from her shoulders while he watched her facial expression wash from cheeky to aroused. His tongue firm and wide tracing up between her folds, tasting her sweet honey made his cock throb inside his boxers. She was right, he had missed this.  
Massaging her bud with his tongue, he switched it up, kissing and sucking her softly as she rolled her slit over his mouth and chin. Her tempo increased, she reached up to her own mouth, covering it tightly, stopping the escalating moans. She pushed down hard as she came quickly over his face.  
  
Still hearing silence from the cot beside their bed, Vegeta squirmed free from under her, he grabbed her hips and pushed her down onto the bed. Her eyes sunk down, filled with desire for him. Vegeta removed her hand from her mouth and claimed her neck with his lips. Kissing and trailing his lips upwards, searching out for hers. She hungrily slipped her hands through his hair and pulled his face toward hers. Locking her lips into his. Tenderly he pushed his tongue between her lips.  
Small moans ruptured between them, as they expressed their need for each other. The soft warm touch of her thighs wrapping around his hips was the only encouragement he needed. He slid his hand between them, positioning his hard shaft between her swollen folds. He slicked himself, mixing his pre-cum and her warm wetness over the head of his cock.  
  
“Vegeta…” She breathed out hard, splitting herself from his lips.  
  
Thrusting controlled and forcibly into her, she pushed her head back.  
  
“I love you” He said, kissing down her neck toward her beasts.  
  
“I love you too” She said, he could hear her smile. “Fuck me harder”   
  
He complied with her request and drove his hands under her hips, pulling her core closer to him. He eagerly watched as her tits bounced with each thud of his pelvis, her moans also in sync. plunging completely into her, drawing his thick shaft back out, he thrust hard back inside her. His orgasm came on quickly. How he had missed being inside her like this. So wet and tight around his cock, his base covered in her juices. Her moaning and wriggling did nothing to curb his impending bursting pleasure.  
Muscles tensing, he unloaded inside her, panting hard as she began to kiss him hard. They both took a moment, kissing each other, chests heaving as they caught their breath.  
  
“I missed your cock” Bulma said, a wide grin painted across her face.  
  
“It missed you”  
  
Bulma slapped him as he finally pulled himself out of her. They retreated silently to the bathroom to tidy themselves up. 

“Are you going this morning with the scouting crew?” She asked.  
  
“Not with them, but I’ll be leaving shortly after”  
  
“Ok"

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing"

"I don't have to go, if you need me to stay I will" Vegeta said.

"I'll be fine, we'll be fine...Right? My little man" 

Soft cooing came from a white crib beside the bed they now shared. Vegeta walked over and scooped his son up tenderly into his build arms. Rocking the tiny human softly. 

"You look so good with a baby in your arms"

Vegeta glanced into her blue eyes, her adoring facial expressions managed to make her face soften considerably. But the desire he saw made her change back to the Bulma he had always known.

"This turns you on? Me, holding my son?"

"It does it for me, what do you want me to say?" 

“Vulgar woman”  
  
She giggled and put her hands out for her son. Vegeta transferred his tiny boy into his partner's loving hands. He loved watching them coo at each other. Bulma smothering him with small kisses.

* * *

  
The dew had frozen over in the below zero temperatures. Frost had come again. Even this late in the morning it still blanketed the landscape, it covered every surface. Boots squelched through the iced grass. crunching and smashing into the dirt.   
His men had left half an hour before him. He brought up the rear after they had surveyed the paddocks. In a short time they had a good idea on what fences to mend. If the creatures got into the fields. They would go through the cattle in a day or two. The culprits for damaging the fences? Kangaroos. The stupid fuckers jumped the fence, some times taking them down as they went. They were after the cattles food. Often letting through a dozen or so, rotting, hungry zombies. 

The group of men had managed to finish before midday. An early working day was just what the doctor ordered. Vegeta felt his eyelids sliding further down his eyeballs. Between the nightmare and finally, after months, finishing inside Bulma's wonderfully slick slit, he had almost no energy left.  
Kicking his soggy, mud covers boots off he made his way inside. Expecting to be immediately welcome by his little budding family. He didn't come home early often, so thoughts of being with them most of the day had crept in.

Distracted by his cloudy serene thoughts, it was a few moments before he noticed his sons wails. Never hearing that frequency before, immediately the hairs on the back of his neck stood up to attention. Shivers sparked down his back and into his legs. Propelling him toward the shrieking. Rounding the corner and entering through the doorway he locked onto trunks. Who was in his cot, inconsolably crying. His face bright red.

Bulma? She never let the boy cry this long or hard. Where was Bulma?

His eyes darted to each corner until he found her. Curl on the floor like a fetus. Her body was trembling and her hands grabbed at her skin, like something was crawling beneath it.  
The thunder from his heart smashed the breath from his diaphragm. Panic rising which each strained breath.

"Bulma!" He finally let out.

Her face turned to him. The glazed white eye meeting his. "It's happening. Get him out of here!"

Pain ripped through his chest and pierced his heart. It was so powerful it made him drop to his knees. The tears came next, streaming unabashed down his face. He could only manage to crawl toward her.

"No, no! Bulma…" He cried. “I’ll get a shot”

"No! This is the end...Get him the fuck out of here! Before I turn!"

The words only managed to make the release of pain worse. His body writhed in emotional pain. Stronger than anything that had ever come before it. Flooding his mind and causing him to enter another state of reality. Like time itself stopped.

"Vegeta… you promised me!"

This time, this time the words broke through the piercing pain. His mind snapped back. Seeming to process the imagery before him properly. He blinked a few times to gain his bearing. Flicking to her eyes he saw her desperation now. She needed him, he was failing in her most critical time of need. She had only asked two things of him at the end. Look after their son and kill her when the time comes.

The time had come.

In one big motion he had stepped up and had bundled his son into his arms.

"Don’t let it take you until I’m back!"

* * *

  
  
Out of control. That terrifying feeling one gets as they almost trip, or when they are awoken from a dream of falling. The sheer terror takes over like a tsunami, the body pumps chemicals into the system in an instant, the tension that excruciatingly floods the muscles, right as they brace for impact. Chilling panic that clouds, then commands the thoughts. That horrific moment is known well by all, it lasts only for a second, maybe two.  
But this. It was much more than that. For days it had slowly crept up, she had been triggered as if someone was watching her. Waiting for her to lower her guard. If she could have just been brave enough to accept it, it would never have gotten this far. She could have ended this ride with dignity. Now she was going to be subjected to an extremely painful and fearful end. She was going to scar Vegeta even more than she had planned to. Her memories pinpointed it, right when she should have told him to pull the trigger. Days ago, in a single moment it took her. And she had known it. But she was scared.  
She had always thought it would have taken her heart, but it didn’t. It had taken her brain. Her brilliant, imaginative, beautiful, most valuable organ. The one that was going to destroy the very thing that was now destroying it. Life was an ironic fucking bitch.  
  
All she could do was plead with each second that Vegeta would burst through the door frame and end it. The maddening nightmare.  
  
“Please...” She pushed out into the deadly silent room.  
  
Feelings start to disappear. Marked for destruction while a new hunger emerged. One she had not even come close to experiencing. Not even in the early days of the virus when food was hard to come by. She wanted to rip, destroy, devour. Her mouth started gnawing at itself. In preparation for the first bite into the warm living flesh.  
  
“Ple...ase”  
  
Blazing across her field of vision was an image of her baby boy, radiant, deep blue eyes shining up at her from Vegeta’s arms. Pure love spreading outwards and penetrating her deep within. A strength she had never known, grew inside upon the conclusion of her vision. She pushed her traitorous, dying body up from off the floor. Determined to finish this as Bulma, god damn, fucking Briefs. The moment she felt at her most reinforced, Vegeta appeared, gun in hand. One look at his extremely familiar face was all it took for the emotions to rush through her and crush her spirit. Her throat erupted in a wail so deep it took all of the air out of her lungs, squeezing her organs tightly. The pain was unbearable. She didn’t want to leave him, to leave their son. She wanted to watch them both grow, she wanted to live. The realisation that she couldn’t was the most painful thing.  
He was down, sitting on his knees instantaneously. Gun placed beside him. Grabbing her small frame in his strong hands.  
  
“Please hurry, I haven’t got long. Any second I’ll...” The words stopped coming out.  
  
He rose, placing his body weight on his knees and the backs of his feet. He aimed the gun, directly at the dead centre of her cranium. Her vision filtered, overrun with tears now, she couldn’t make out much detail. All she searched for were his onyx eyes. She wanted to gaze into them, find his love in them at the end. They were the last thing she wanted to see. She tried to speak before she finally locked onto them.  
  
“I love you Vegeta”  
  
He hissed out an aching sob. An instinctual, guttural cry as he came to terms with the love of his life finally leaving him. She realised why it was so hard to find his gaze. He was also inundated with tears, his face contorting in pain. Blinking away her own, she watched his cheeks flood.  
  
“I love you Bulma. I would do it all again, live every painful fucking moment, hurt myself and everyone else all over again. Watch them die, kill them, dive into the black abyss again. I would do it all to get back the moments with you, with our...” He coughed and spurted out another whimper. “ To meet our son. I’d do it all again, I’d find a way.”  
  
The last bit of warmth inside her transferred directly to her face. She did her best to reveal her love for him, for their son. Through her smile. Through her eyes. She couldn’t even sob anymore, her body was gone. Just her face remained.  
  
“Be good to him, raise him well.” She said softly.  
  
“I’ll raise him to be a man you will be proud of”  
  
Bulma observed Vegeta's eyes. Finding a calming sense of a fulfilling ending there, knowing this pain would not be for naught. She found herself there in his love. She found her place in eternity. She closed her eyes for the very last time. The black sludge took the last remaining power she had over her body.  
  
“Thank you”  
  
The booming of the gun was soul shattering. Her body slumped to the floor.

* * *

One foot after the other hauled his aching body toward the building. Familiar surroundings were captured by his searching vision. His back was always covered by the stone built walls. The stench hit him before the object came within his range of vision, it was the lifeless body of a blue haired female. Human organs strewn across the dirt and rocks. As he stood for a moment, letting his brain process the information coming into his mind by his senses. Thoughts of deja vu saturated his mind, making it hard to concentrate. Eventually his hand steadily descended down to the women. His mind called out before she moved. Bulma. Snarls began before the body moved. Not enough time to react, his body tried to retreat. But it was too late. His spouse's teeth had sunk into his thigh, biting him through a large rip in his pants.  
  
Howling loaded the room in a thick atmosphere, bringing him back to reality. His eyes flung open as something slipped across his cheek, compassionate and restorative. For a moment his eyes glimpsed her soft, kind face. Brilliant blue eyes reassuring him. She disappeared into the cool winter’s air.  
He covered his face with his forearm, trying to absorb the tears back into himself. His son pushed out air from his tiny lungs and cried hysterically from the side of Vegeta’s bed. Their bed. A little hand appeared, reaching up to try and hold his father's hand. Catching his composure finally he removed his arm and looked down into his son's red puffy eyes.  
  
“Daddy”  
  
Vegeta reached over, pulling him up onto the bed with just one arm. Trunks had a photo frame clutched tightly in his chubby hands.  
  
“Daddy…” He whined, diving his face into his father's chest.  
  
His strong hardworking hand rubbed the small child's back. Consoling the tiny, blue haired human as he wept. “Stop those tears, it was only a dream”  
  
“Story…”  
  
“No, Trunks I…”  
  
“Story!”  
  
Vegeta let out a defeated sigh. “Fine, you win, you little blue haired terror. But no more tears”  
  
“Okay”  
  
Stretching over with his free hand, he reached for a small, worn-out, doggy eared book. He pulled it over and sat it on his chest. Trunks wiggled into the space between his father's chest and meaty arm, snuggling in and slipping his tiny thumb into his mouth. He sucked softly as his father opened the book. Handwritten sentences and stick figures covered the pages.  
  
“Once upon a time, there was a kingdom. Ruled over by a blue haired Queen, with a robotic arm and a black haired King, with a robotic leg… They had a son, a Blue haired Prince”  
  
Trunks hands stroked over the small, metallic picture frames.  
  
“The Queen was creating a medicine to heal those that were bitten by the monster of the land”  
  
Small sniffs pushed against his chest as his son began to calm himself. His cold little feet rubbing against Vegeta’s hot skin.  
  
“One day, the Queen fell ill. She had been bitten by one of the monsters. They tried to save her, but the medicine was incomplete”  
  
Little moans disapproved of the particular part of the story.  
  
“But the Queen was strong, she was a hero. Before she died, she placed the key in the hands of the King. To give to the Prince when he was old enough. So he could continue her work and save the kingdom…”  
  
Slowly closing his eyes, Trunks pulled the picture frame in close to his chest. Vegeta looked down, catching a glimpse of the photo within.  
  
Normally his face was clear from emotion, expressionless besides a scowl. But this day, he had been caught off guard. With Bulma in his arms, heavily pregnant. He smiled widely, a vision of joy spread across his hard features.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading xx


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